G-81K, 


.  ..    h 


HEBREW   POETRY. 


a 


SUNDAY  AFTERNOON  LECTURES 


BEFORE 


The  Greensboro  Law  School, 


BY 


Hon.  ROBERT  P.  DICK, 
U.  S.  District  Jiidge. 

^.A.  MUSE    <*    Cq 

UHHAM,   N.-O. 


GREENSBORO: 

C.  F.  Thomas,  Book  and  Job  Printer. 

1883. 


Library  of  the 
University  of  North  Carolina 

Endowed  by  the  Dialectic  and  Philan- 
thropic Societies 


tfti. 


HEBREW    POETRY. 


Sunday  Afternoon  Lectures 


BEFORE 


THE    GREENSBORO    LAW   SCHOOL, 


BY 


Hon.  ROBERT  P.   DICK, 
U.  S.  District  Judge'. 


GREENSBORO: 
C.  F.  Thomas,  Book  and  Job  Printer. 

1883. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1883,  by 

ROBERT  P.  DICK, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


LECTURE   I. 


The  Influence  of  Poetry  on  National  Development. 
The   Influence    of    the  Bible  on   Modern  Civilization. 


Poetry  is  an  interesting  and  instructive  part  of  a  nation's 
history,  as  it  is  a  production  of  the  intellectual  and  moral 
faculties,  feelings  and  sentiments  of  the  people. 

These  faculties,  feelings  and  sentiments  are  awakened 
and  intensified,  in  a  great  degree,  by  the  spectacles  of 
natural  beauty  and  usefulness  presented  in  the  earth,  seas 
and  skies,  which  are  produced  by  the  wondrous  combina- 
tions of  physical  laws  and  agencies  everywhere  evidencing 
a  wisdom,  power  and  goodness,  higher,  purer  and  vaster 
,than  human  intellect  and  benevolence;  and  ever  lifting  the 
soul  in  love,  adoration  and  praise  to  the  great  Creator  and 
benefactor,  and  to  the  immortal  life  of  a  higher  and  more 
effulgent  glory  yet  to  come.  In  the  poetry  of  a  nation 
we  can  feel  the  pulse-throb  of  national  life  that  shows  its 
healthful  development  or  decay. 

In  the  history  of  the  past  we  find  that  a  poetic  spirit 
has  existed  in  a  more  eminent  degree  in  some  nations  than 
in  others;  but  among  all  the  higher  types  of  mankind — 
those  races  which  have  exerted  a  marked  influence  upon 
human  progress — poetic  feeling  and  sentiment  seem  to 
have  permeated  the  entire  mass  of  the  population.  These 
feelings  and  sentiments  were  imperceptibly  formed  by  the 
pure  aspirations,  affections  and  emotions  of  man's  better 
nature.  They  were  the  spirit-voices  of  the  true,  the 
beautiful  and  the  good  which  rose  above  the  jarring  dis- 
j  cords  of  selfishness,  passion,  prejudice  and  strife  that 
t>       marred  the  happiness   and  beauty   of  everyday  life,  and 

to 


blended  into  the  sweet  harmonies  of  domestic  joy  and 
the  noble  amenities  and  gentle  charities  of  social  com- 
munion and  brotherhood. 

The  Samian  philosopher,  in  studying  the  principles  of 
music,  and  observing  the  order,  regularity  and  harmony 
with  which  the  celestial  bodies  moved  through  the  heavens, 
formed  the  beautiful  conception  that  the  spheres  of  dif- 
ferent magnitudes  and  velocity,  by  striking  against  the 
ether,  produced  a  music  unheard  by  mortal  ears,  but  ever 
swelling  in  glorious  harmonies.  Modern  science,  in  dis- 
covering the  universal  power  of  gravitation  which  controls 
the  motion  of  the  planets  as  they  roll  in  perfect  harmony 
and  beauty  in  the  vast  fields  of  immensity,  has  not  entirely 
dispelled  the  old  philosophic  dream,  and  the  imaginative 
mind  still  fancies  that  the  morning  stars  have  not  ceased 
the  song  they  sang  at  creation's  dawn,  when  the  "sons  of 
God  shouted  for  joy."  How  beautifully  is  this  idea  present- 
ed by  Shakespeare  in  the  Merchant  of  Venice. 

"  Look  how  the  floor  of  heaven 
Is  thick  inlaid  with  patines  of  bright  gold. 
There  is  not  the  smallest  orb  which  thou  beholdest 
But  in  his  motion  like  an  angel  sings, 
Still  quiring  to  the  young-ey'd  Cherubins; 
Such  harmony  is  in  immortal  souls,  % 

But  whilst  this  muddy  vesture  of  decay 
Doth  grossly  close  it  in,  we  cannot  hear  it." 

Science  has  made  us  acquainted  with  the  existence  and 
with  some  of  the  influences  of  gravitation,  but  we  know 
very  little  of  the  source,  nature  and  extent  of  that 
wondrous  power  that  pervades  the  universe.  As  this 
incomprehensible  force  regulates  and  controls  the  motions 
and  relations  of  the  celestial  bodies,  so  there  are  mysteri- 
ous and  all-pervading  influences  which  link  the  hearts  of 
mankind  with  chords  of  kindred  sympathies.  From  these 
interlinking  and  intermingling  heart-chords  many  sponta- 
neous thoughts,  feelings  and  emotions  of  the  soul  sound 
out  and  blend  into  the  sweetest  harmonies  of  life — just  as 
the  viewless  winds  wake  soft    molodies  on  yEolean  harp- 


5 

strings.  These  soul  harmonies  give  inspiration  to  genius. 
They  form  and  color  the  ideal  conceptions  of  the  artist; 
they  are  heard  in  the  music  of  the  simple  home  song,  the 
ballad  of  the  minstrel,  the  enchanting  opera,  the  sublime 
oritorio  and  the  soul-thrilling  anthem.  The  poet  gives 
them  sweet  utterance  in  the  musical  elegance  and  pathos 
of  the  lyric,  and  the  eloquent  strains  and  flowing  rhythm 
of  epic  verse. 

In. the  infancy  of  nations,  like  in  the  time  of  childhood, 
we  find  the  imaginative  faculties  more  highly  developed 
than  the  reasoning  powers.  The  literary  memorials  .of 
nearly  every  people,  in  their  first  rude  stages  of  develop- 
ment— the  period  of  national  childhood — are  the  songs  of 
bards  which  give  expression  to  earnest  and  impassioned 
popular  thought,  imagination  and  feeling  in  language 
glowing  with  enthusiasm  and  highly  wrought  imagery. 
In  the  more  advanced  stages  of  progress,  experiment, 
education  and  other  elements  of  civilization  produce  the 
profound  maxims  and  truths  of  science  and  philosophy, 
and  teach  the  more  practical  duties  and  destinies  of  life; 
but  the  poetic  feelings  and  sentiments  which  influenced 
earlier  generations  are  not  destroyed,  as  they  are  deeply 
implanted  in  the  human  heart,  and  they  are  elevated  and 
refined  by  the  ennobling  and  expanding  influences  of  the 
enlightened  mind;  and  they  waken  and  vibrate  with 
harmony  when  the  mystic  strings  of  the  heart  are  touched 
by  some./naster  hand  of  genius. 

The  real  and  full  history  of  a  nation  never  has,  and  never 
can  be  written,  as  the  various  and  minute  causes  and  events 
which  form  and  regulate  national  life  pass  away  like  the 
germs,  the  buds  and  blossoms  of  spring  that  change  into 
the  golden  harvests  of  summer  and  the  rich  fruits  of  the 
autumn. 

We  see  grand  social  and  political  results,  and  in  some 
degree  comprehend  the  proximate  causes  which  produced 
them,  but  we  know  very  little  of  the  minute  original  ele- 


ments  which  were  silently  and  mysteriously  combined  to 
form  such  proximate  causes.  The  little  first  elements  of 
human  development  are  fully  known  only  to  the  Infinite 
Mind  that  mingled  them  together  into  creating  and  con- 
trolling powers.  Thus  it  is  in  the  natural  world.  We  see 
some  of  the  results  of  the  tempest — hear  the  reverberat- 
ing thunder  and  are  dazzled  with  the  gleaming  lightning, 
but  we  know  little  of  when,  where,  how  and  why  were 
formed  the  cloud-chariots  in  which  the  majestic  storm 
moves  in  grandeur  through  the  darkened  skies. 

We  see  the  rich  landscape  spread  out  in  vernal  beauty, 
but  we  are  unable  by  any  process  of  artistic  analysis  to 
tell  with  completeness  and  accuracy  how  its  lights  and 
shades  and  various  objects  were  produced  and  skilfully 
blended  into  picturesque  loveliness.  We  see  the  ever- 
rolling  river  as  it  moves  grandly  to  the  sea,  widening  and 
deepening  as  it  flows,  but  we  cannot  trace  its  course  back 
to  the  thousand  springs  that  swell  its  volume  as  they 
trickle  from  mountain  crags  or  with  musical  gladness  gush 
from  the  bosom  of  the  valleys. 

Thus  it  is  with  a  nation's  poetry.  There  were  thous- 
ands of  humble  hearts  that,  in  poverty  and  obscurity, 
throbbed  with  loves,  hopes,  joys  and  fears,  and,  almost 
unconsciously,  produced  thoughts  and  fancies  of  the  finest 
poetry  that  mingled  with  a  nation's  literature;  just  like 
the  perfume  of  flowers  mingling  into  a  balmy  atmos- 
phere, or  like  tiny  rippling  rills  swelling  the  currents  of 
broad  and  sun-bright  rivers,  that  flow  with  majestic 
harmony  and  join  the  sublime  and  ever-sounding  sympho- 
nies of  the  seas. 

We  cannot  tell  when  and  how  God  sows  the  seeds  of 
the  wild  flowers,  that  steal  into  bloom  and  perfume  and 
embellish  the  earth;  how  with  sunshine,  rain  drops  and 
gentle  dews,  and  the  various  agencies  in  His  wondrous 
laboratory,  He  changes  the  scattered  grain  of  the  husband- 
man into  the  golden  harvests;  how  He  keeps  in  perennial 


flow    the    limpid    fountains    that    supply   the  singing  rills 
'that  keep  fresh  the  verdure  of  the  hillsides  and  the  valleys; 
and  how  He  teaches  the  joyous  birds    to  trill  their   glad- 
some notes  of  melody. 

God  formed  the  earth  as  a  beautiful  home  for  man,  and 
it  was  consecrated  with  His  benediction  and  the  songs  of 
the  angels.  He  also  gave  to  man  the  faculties  for  per- 
ceiving and  appreciating  the  true,  the  beautiful  and  the 
good,  and  enabled  him  to  express  his  feelings  and  emo- 
tions of  love,  joy,  hope  and  devotion  in  the  rhythmic 
strains  of  poetry  and  the  sweet,  soft  notes  of  melody. 
Poetry  and  music  may  well  be  considered  as  ministering 
angels  which  ever  keep  in  living  purity  and  freshness  on 
earth  some  of  the  bliss  of  the  sinless  Eden. 

The  poet  who  said  "Let  me  write  a  nation's  songs,  and 
I  care  not  who  writes  its  laws,"  was,  by  no  means,  a 
visionary  enthusiast,  but  he  was  a  profound  philosopher, 
who,  by  intuition,  observation  and  experience,  had  learned 
some  of  the  strong  influences  which  mould  a  nation's  life. 
The  songs  and  poems  of  a  nation  are  important  elements 
in  its  history,  and  they  furnish  the  words,  thoughts  and 
imagery  that  sparkle  like  jewels  in  its  language  and  lit- 
erature. 

While  the  Welsh  Bards  lived  their  nation  was  uncon- 
querable. With  rude  minstrelsy  they  aroused  the  enthu- 
siastic patriotism  of  that  brave  and  imaginative  people 
who  loved  liberty  and  the  craggy  mountains  and  wild 
valleys  that  lie  between  the  Severn  and  the  sea. 

The  simple  songs  which  are  sung  in  the  cottages  among 
the  Hartz  mountains  and  beside  the  Baltic,  the  Danube 
and  the  Rhine  link  even  the  self-exiled  German  to  the 
memories  and  scenes  of  the  Vaterland  with  ties  of  love 
and  devotion  which  time  and  distance  are  powerless  to 
break. 

The  Ranz  des  Vaches  is  indeed  to  the  Switzer  a  song  of 
home,  and  when   heard  even   in   the   fairest  climes  of  the 


8 
earth  causes  tears   of  love   to  flow,    and  carries  his  heart 

* 

back  again  to  the  humble  cottage  where  his  mother  nursed 
him  in  the  Alpine  glen. 

The  Marseillais  Hymn  inspired  French  patriots  with 
dauntless  heroism  in  the  early  years  of  that  grand  revolu- 
tion which  so  long  filled  Europe  with  mourning  and  the 
horrors  of  strife  and  carnage,  and  resulted  in  misery  and 
martial  glory,  but  not  freedom  to  France. 

"God  Save  the  Queen"  is  intimately  associated  with 
England's  greatness  and  renown,  and  keeps  in  glowing 
life  the  national  love  and  loyalty  of  those  brave  and  gal- 
lant sailors  and  soldiers  whose  reveille  greets  the  rising  sun 
as  it  gilds  with  morning  light  every  clime  of  the  earth. 

"  The  Star  Spangled  Banner  "  fills  every  patriotic  Amer- 
ican heart  with  love  and  pride  for  that  glorious  land  whose 
flag  of  stars  is  the  emblem  of  freedom,  and  whose  protec- 
tion and  power  are  co-extensive  with  the  globe. 

"Home  Sweet  Home"  is  one  of  the  dearest  and  most 
touching  domestic  lyrics  that  human  voice  has  ever  sung, 
and  is  almost  worthy  of  the  lips  of  the  sinless  Seraphim. 
Its  tender  pathos  causes  the  eyes  to  fill  with  tears  and 
the  bosom  to  swell  with  the   holiest  and  purest  emotions. 

"  Old  Hundred  "  makes  us  think  of  brave,  noble  and 
glorious  old  Luther,  and  it  is  one  of  the  grandest  te  deums 
that  ever  rose  from  human  hearts  and  swelled  through 
,the  aisles  and  arches  of  the  earthly   temples   of  Jehovah. 

The  grand  events  of  the  battlefield,  the  policies  of 
rulers,  and  the  laws  of  legislative  assembliesformrenowned 
epochs  in  a  nation's  history,  but  they  furnish  little  knowl- 
edge of  its  inner  life,  or  those  secret  causes  which  silently 
and  surely  formed  and  developed  its  destiny.  If  we  view 
only  the  few  transactions  preserved  by  the  historic  muse 
we  will  not  possess  a  more  accurate  idea  of  the  peculiar  / 
characteristics  of  a  nation  than  we  would  have  of  its  geog- 
raphy and  scenery  by  catching  glimpses  of  the  grand  out- 
lines of  its  country  through  the  hazy  curtain  of  the  distance. 


9 

How  little  would  the  traveler  know  of  Scotland  by 
standing  upon  the  castle  of  Edenboro  and  gazing  over 

"That  land  ot  brown  heath  and  shaggy  wood, 
Land  of  the  mountain  and  the  flood." 

He  would  see  Holyrood  surrounded  by  the  hallowed 
memories  of  Scotland's  royalty.  He  would  see  the  ivy- 
clad  ruins  of  old  baronial  castles,  where  Wallace,  the 
Bruce  and  Douglas  fought  for  freedom;  but  he  would 
know  little 

"Of  those  hills  of  glorious  deeds, 

Those  streams  renowned  in  song, 
The  blithesome  braes  and  meads, 

Our  hearts  have  loved  so  long." 

He  might  see  through  the  azure  distance  Ben  Lomond 
and  Ben  Nevis,  stern  and  wild,  baring  their  rocky  breasts 
to  the  storm  as  they  had  done  for  ages,  but  he  would 
know  nothing  of  Lock  Katrine  and  Lock  Lomond  resting 
so  placidly  among  the  Highlands,  and  ever  reflecting 
images  of  the  beauties  of  nature  that  enchant  their  shores; 
or  of  the  heathery  hillsides  where  Roderick  Dhu  and 
MacGregor  trod  as  lords,  and  were  as  free  and  fearless  as 
the  wild  eagle  of  the  mountains.  He  might  see  the  gray 
Grampian  and  the  Cheviot  hills,  the  shimmering  sunlight 
on  the  misty  moorlands,  the  shining  Forth  and  the  lofty 
cliffs  that  mark  the  course  of  the  distant  Clyde,  all  blend- 
ing into  landscapes  of  imposing  grandeur  and  rural  beauty; 
but  he  would  know  nothing  of  the  humble  kirks  where, 
with  earnest  hearts,  a  noble  and  hardy  yeomanry  meet  to 
worship  God  in  their  father's  simple  faith,  and  where  are 
heard  the  mournful  requiems  of  the  shadowing  elms  be- 
neath whose  quivering  shades  the  hero  martyrs  of  the 
Covenant  sleep  in  hallowed  graves. 

He  would  know  nothing  of  the  virtue,  contentment 
and  domestic  bliss  of  the  cotter's  home;  or  the  simple 
joys  in  the  hamlets  on  the  "  Banks  of  Doon,"  where 
the  Ploughman   Poet   sang  his  matchless   lays;  or  of  the 


IO 

musical  rills  and  trysting  trees  in  the  shady  glens  where 
many  a  Highland  Mary  listened  to  the  whispered  vows  of 
love. 

No  one  can  know  the  history  of  Scotland,  with  all  its 
thrilling  incidents  and  sacred  memories  unless  he  has  read 
her  ballad  minstrelsy  and  the  matchless  poems  of  her 
mighty  sons  of  genius,  who  have  invested  her  with  the 
halo  of  song  and  old  romance,  made  her  a  home  of  poesy, 
and  enshrined  her  name  in  every  heart  that  loves  the 
true,  the  beautiful  and  the  heave. 

On  many  pages  of  recorded  history  we  find  some  evi- 
dence of  the  influence  of  poetry  in  the  formation  of 
national  character.  The  age  of  Homer  was  the  com- 
mencement of  Grecian  glory.  His  transcendent  genius 
not  only  gave  immortality  to  his  country,  but  created 
classic  literature.  His  wonderful  poems  kindled  those 
fires  of  patriotism,  freedom  and  love  of  glory  in  his  na- 
tion's heart  which  in  after  times  shone  so  brightly  in  the 
wisdom  of  her  philosophers  and  law-givers,  in  the  match- 
less productions  of  her  painters  and  sculptors,  in  the 
immortal  tragedies,  epics  and  songs  of  her  poets,  in  the 
indomitable  valor  of  her  heroes  and  in  the  thrilling  elo- 
quence of  her  orators.  His  magic  touch  unsealed  the 
fountains  of  Castalia  and  Hippocrene  and  made  all  the 
hills  and  vales  of  Greece  the  homes  of  the  gods  and  the 
haunts  of  the  Muses.  Who  can  ever  think  of  Greece,  and 
forget  the  mighty  bard  who  breathed  the  inspirations  of 
genius  into  her  national  life.  Her  political  power  has 
passed  away,  her  magnificent  temples  are  now  in  ruins, 
the  remnants  of  her  art  treasures  are  scattered  over  the 
civilized  world,  and  the  blood  of  the  heroes  of  Marathon 
now  flows  in  the  veins  of  degenerate  sons.  The  mourn- 
ful ^Egean  among  green  isles  and  on  rocky  shores  is  ever 
murmuring  a  lament  for  the  departed  glory  of  old  Hellas, 
but  still  the  light  of  her  poetry  is  as  immortal  as  her 
starry  skies  and  golden  sunshine,  and  lingers  around  that 


II 

classic   land   and   makes  it  a  sacred  shrine  to  every  lover 
of  freedom,  art  and  letters. 

I  will  devote  but  a  few  moments  in  considering  the 
history  of  the  once  proud  mistress  of  the  world  and  her 
nobly  gifted  sons  of  song.  She  drank  deeply  of  the  blood 
of  carnage,  revelled  long  amidst  the  spoils  of  conquest, 
and  for  centuries  the  great  throbbings  of  her  passionate 
heart  were  felt  throughout  the  grandest  empire  of  the 
ancient  world.  Her  Catos,  Scipios  and  Caesars  are  gone. 
Her  Emperors  who  wielded  an  iron  sceptre  over  the 
world  are  dust  and  ashes.  Not  one  stone  of  the  capitol 
is  left  upon  another.  The  Coliseum  is  still  a  grand  and 
glorious  ruin.  Where  once  sounded  the  eloquence  of  the 
Forum  and  Senate  Chamber  is  now  heard  the  plaintive 
cry  of  the  beggar;  and  the  Campus  Martius  where  once 
victorious  legions  trod  in  the  martial  pomp  and  pride  of 
the  triumph,  is  now  covered  with  the  homes  of  poverty 
and  the  dens  of  infamy  and  crime.  But  her  poets  still 
live  and  will  live  forever.  In  their  day  they  shed  an  im- 
mortal glory  upon  their  country  which  survived  her  costly 
palaces,  stately  temples  and  imperial  power,  and  sent 
gleams  of  intellectual  light  over  the  whelming  deluge 
of  Vandal  invasion,  and  materially  assisted  in  kindling 
the  splendid  dawn  of  the  renaisance  day.  During  the 
night  time  of  the  Middle  Ages  the  voice  of  song  never 
became  silent,  but  cheered  the  heart  and  elevated  the 
mind  of  ignorant,  superstitious  and  oppressed  humanity  in 
the  nations  of  Western  Europe.  The  poems  of  Caedmon, 
the  Saxon,  stand  first  on  the  rich  pages  of  English  litera- 
ture. The  songs  of  the  Troubadours  gave  a  cultured 
language  and  refined  manners  to  Provence  and  Languedoc, 
and  poetic  literature  was  the  pride  and  glory  of  the 
Oriental  civilization  of  Southern  Spain. 

Dante  may  well  be  regarded  as  the  greatest  pioneer  in 
the  cause  of  freedom  and  intellectual  progress,  and  we 
cannot    read   the    history  of  the   revival    of  learning    in 


12 

Europe  without  being  impressed  with  the  important  influ- 
ence of  his  poetry,  and  of  that  of  his  brilliant  successors, 
upon  the  progress  of  modern  civilization. 

When  we  turn  to  the  pages  of  English  history  to  study 
the  causes  which  produced  the  intellectual  development 
and  advancement  of  our  own  ancestors,  we  find  that 
Chaucer,  Spenser,  Shakespeare  and  Milton  led  the  van- 
guard of  progress,  and  were  amongst  the  greatest  bene- 
factors of  their  race.  The  influence  which  they  exerted 
will  last  as  long  as  the  English  language  is  spoken,  and 
will  be  as  widespread  as  the  rich  beneficences  of  English 
institutions  and  literature. 

In  this  place  I  cannot  dwell  longer  upon  a  theme  so 
suggestive,  so  extensive,  so  diversified  and  so  full  of  im- 
portant instruction;  but  I  will  now  turn  to  Hebrew  poetry 
and  literature  which  will  be  the  subject  of  my  future 
lectures. 

This  is  the  richest  and  most  beautiful  field  of  literature 
and  philosophy  ever  presented  to  human  contemplation. 
It  is  a  field  in  which  intellectual  giants  have  wrought, 
whose  lips  were  touched  with  hallowed  fire  and  whose 
inspired  genius  uttered  the  most  momentous  truths,  and 
waked  the  grandest  and  sweetest  notes  of  immortal 
harps.  Here  our  minds  can  be  elevated  and  enriched  with 
the  profoundest  wisdom,  and  our  souls  be  enraptured  with 
scenes  of  loftiest  sublimity,  and  with  prophetic  visions  il- 
lumined with  supernatural  splendors.  Here  we  can  some- 
times feel  that  we  are  beneath  the  shadow  of  the  Al- 
mighty, and  can  almost  hear  the  echo  of  the  songs  of  the 
angels.  Here  in  thought  and  fancy  we  can  revisit  the 
blissful  Eden  home  where  the  fruitful  trees  of  life  by 
crystal  rivers  were  growing,  where  the  landscape  was 
bright  with  golden  light  and  emerald  verdure,  and  the 
musical  air  was  redolent  with  ambrosial  odors  from  yel- 
low meads  of  asphodel  and  from  amaranthine  bowers. 

Hebrew  literature  must  always  be  a  subject  of  interest- 


13 

ing  study  and  contemplation  to  the  human  mind,  for  it 
has  exerted  a  wonderful  and  controlling  influence  upon 
the  intellectual,  moral  and  social  development  of  man- 
kind. 

Hebrew  poetry  is  also  the  great  fountain  of  living 
waters,  whose  perennial  currents  have#irrigated  the  world 
of  letters,  and  given  life  and  beauty  to  so  many  of  the 
bright  and  sweet  flowers  of  genius  that  bloom  in  the  rich 
and  varied  fields  of  human  thought. 

The  most  acute,  profound  and  enlightened  minds,  after 
long  and  laborious  investigation,  have  not  been  able  fully 
to  comprehend  the  extent  of  the  influence  of  the  Bible 
upon  the  happiness  and  progress  of  mankind.  It  reaches 
over  the  whole  course  of  human  destiny.  Unlike  other 
histories  the  Bible  presents  no  fabulous  ages.  With  the 
Bible  as  a  guide,  we  can  trace  the  course  of  human  pro- 
gress back  through  the  darkness  of  oblivious  centuries 
to  the  primal,  sinless  home  in  Eden,  where  God  formed 
man  in  His  own  image  and  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the 
breath  of  life,  and  man  became  a  living  soul  ;  and  we  can 
go  still  further  back  to  the  time  when  in  the  beginning  God 
created  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  spoke  those 
gloriously  sublime  words,  "  Let  there  be  Light,"  heard 
only  by  the  angels. 

I  cannot  pause  to  consider  at  any  length  the  influence 
of  the  Bible  upon  the  civilization  of  the  various  nations 
of  antiquity.  The  Old  Testament  scattered  rays  of  light 
that  penetrated  the  surrounding  darkness  and  illumined 
the  minds  of  ancient  sages,  philosophers,  law-givers  and 
poets,  and  threw  some  gleams  of  brilliance  upon  the 
institutions  which  they  formed,  and  upon  the  immortal 
literatures  which  they  gave  to  mankind.  Investigations 
upon  this  subject  have  been  made  by  learned  men  of 
modern  times,  and  the  results  of  their  labors  are  impres- 
sive and  wonderful.  Even  the  annals  of  profane  history 
and  literature  teach  us  that  the  Bible  is  the  source  of  most 


H 

of  those  high  and  noble  thoughts,  truths  and  principles 
which  have  illumined  and  beautified  the  moral  and  intel- 
lectual life  of  mankind  and  regulated  correct  human 
action.  It  has  not  only  given  religion,  beneficent  civil 
institutions  and  rich  literatures  to  the  nations  of  Christen- 
dom, but  has  contributed  all  that  is  elevating  and  valuable 
in  the  faith  of  Islam.  It  has  not  only  affected  the  political 
destinies  of  States,  but  has  permeated  the  whole  structure 
of  civilized  society  and  shed  its  hallowing  light  over  the 
loves,  hopes  and  joys  of  domestic  life. 

I  propose,  in  this  place,  very  briefly  to  refer  to  the 
influence  of  the  Bible  upon  the  literature  and  aesthetic 
culture  of  modern  times.  The  Bible  was  the  principal 
cause  of  the  revival  of  letters  in  Europe,  and  controlled 
the  various  agencies  that  contributed  to  the  production 
of  Christian  civilization. 

The  dawn  of  the  renaisance  day  was  not  produced  by 
the  sudden  exercise  of  omnific  power,  like  that  which  sent 
the  light  in  kindling  splendors  over  the  face  of  chaos, 
but  still  it  was  tne  result  of  the  same  Omnipotent  direc- 
tion. The  dark  ages  were  not  only  times  of  disintegration 
and  decay,  but  they  were  also  times  of  recreation  and 
development,  in  which  were  commingled  and  combined 
various  causes  to  produce  grand  results.  The  tides  of 
Vandal  barbarism  that  swept  over  the  provinces  of  Western 
Europe  produced  great  moral  and  intellectual  darkness, 
but  Grecian  literature  shone  with  a  feeble  light  on  the 
shores  of  the  Bosphorus,  and  Oriental  culture  illumined 
the  capitals  of  the  Califs  and  the  Moorish  cities  of 
Spain.  These  elements  of  civilization  were  largely  intro- 
duced into  Western  Europe  by  the  crusades,  and  produced 
a  reviving  and  enlightening  influence.  As  the  human 
mind  became  more  enlightened  it  was  prompted  to  inves- 
tigation and  enquiry,  and  began  to  collect  and  concentrate 
the  scattered  rays  of  moral  and  intellectual  light  that 
existed  in  the  surrounding  gloom.     There  never  was  a 


15 

complete  intellectual  midnight  in  the  nations  of  Christen- 
dom. Mankind  became  greatly  corrupted  by  the  de- 
moralizing influences  of  ignorance,  superstition  and 
hierarchal  and  feudal  tyranny  ;  the  public  services  of 
Christian  worship  degenerated  to  almost  pagan  idolatry, 
but  still  in  many  a  secluded  valley,  obscure  home  and 
lonely  cloister  the  Bible  kept  alive  the  light  of  Christian 
truth  and  faith  in  many  a  pious  heart,  and  kindled  hopes 
and  aspirations  for  a  higher  and  more  glorious  destiny 
for  man.  These  obscure  homes  of  Christianity  were  pure 
little  fountains  from  which  trickled  many  tiny  intellectual 
and  moral  rills,  that  flowed  onward,  like  the  mystic  river 
of  Ezekiel's  vision,  and  continued  to  widen  and  deepen 
their  currents,  receiving  into  their  bosom  and  purifying 
the  streams  of  classic  civilization  until  the  nations  were 
refreshed  into  more  vigorous  life  and  rejoiced  in  their 
combined  and  vivifying  beneficences. 

During  the  Middle  Ages  manuscript  copies  of  the  Bible 
were  few  and  costly,  and  could  be  obtained  only  by  the 
wealthy  and  great;  and  the  policy  of  the  Romish  Church 
had  made  the  Scriptures  almost  a  sealed  book  to  the 
multitude,  but  the  poetry  of  old  Israel  dwelt  in  the  hearts 
and  memories  of  the  people,  and  the  paintings  of  Bible 
scenes,  sketched  by  the  rude  limners  of  Christian  art  in 
the  Catacombs  and  Churches  of  Mediaeval  Europe  kept 
alive  the  ardent  faith  and  hopes  of  pure  Christianity. 

While  the  winds,  the  earthquakes  and  the  fires  of  God's 
retributive  judgments  swept  over  the  face  of  Europe,  the 
same  "still  small  voice"  that  spoke  to  Elijah  in  the  cave 
of  Horeb,  spoke  again  to  many  earnest  and  devout 
Christian  men  and  sent  them  forth  with  all  the  zeal  and 
energy  of  the  old  prophet  to  collect,  cheer  and  comfort 
the  scattered  remnants  of  the  spiritual  Israel  who  would 
not  bow  the  knee  to  Baal.  During  this  dark  period 
poetry  an*d  art  were  the  principal  conservators  of  Bible 
truth,  which  they  taught  to  the  multitude,  and  they  were 


i6 

used  by  an  All-Wise  Providence  as  important  agents  in 
producing  modern  civilization.  They  were  the  herald 
angels  of  the  dawn  that  awoke  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
Europe  with  songs  of  joy  and  visions  of  beauty.  They 
inspired  Dante  when  he  struck  his  solemn  lyre  and  thrilled 
mankind  with  new  pulses  of  life,  and^soon  all  the  nations 
were  filled  with  the  sublime  melodies  of  responsive  harps. 
»  Then  Giotto,  with  the  touch  of  genius,  gave  new  inspira- 
tion and  beauty  to  Christian  art  which  was  soon  illumined 
by  the  glorious  light  shed  by  Da  Vinci,  Raphael  and 
Angelo. 

Then  music,  with  enchanting  power,  began  to  wake 
higher  and  sweeter  strains — the  prelude  notes  that  after- 
wards swelled  into  the  sublime  oratorios  of  Handel, 
Mozart  and  Beethoven.  Then  the  spirit  of  freedom, 
which  had  been  entombed  in  the  ruins  of  the  past,  began 
to  stir  the  minds  and  hearts  of  men  to  break  the  chains 
of  civil  and  religious  bondage  which  had  so  long  repressed 
free  thought  and  intellectual  energy.  Soon  the  mighty 
influences  of  partially  emancipated  and  enlightened 
thought  exhibited  their  vivifying  powers.  The  preaching 
of  Wickliffe  was  heard  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames,  like 
the  voice  of  another  forerunning  prophet  crying  in  the 
wilderness,  "Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  his 
paths  straight."  The  tones  of  this  grand  message  rang 
in  echoing  cadences  among  the  hills  of  Bohemia  as  Huss 
and  Jerome  were  marching  to  the  stakes  of  martyrdom, 
and  a  century  afterwards  the  evangel  of  Luther  was  heard 
in  the  Church  of  Wittenburg,  sounding  like  the  silver 
trumpet  of  the  Jubilee,  proclaiming  universal  freedom  of 
thought,  and  then  the  grand  march  of  the  Reformation 
began  which  conducted  mankind  from  the  darkness  of  the 
past  into  the  ever-brightening  realms  of  the  future. 

I  will  not  so  far  forget  the  truths  of  history  as  to  deny 
to  classic  learning  its  just  claims  in  the  intellectual  regen- 
eration of  mankind,  but  I  insist  that  its  influence  was  only 


i7 

of  secondary  importance  when  compared  with  the  elevat- 
ing, ennobling  and  enlightening  power  of  the  Bible 
Classic  learning  cultivated  and  refined  the  taste  and 
intellect;  the  Bible  educated  the  mind  and  heart  by 
bringing  out  the  highest  thoughts  and  purest  emotions 
and  sympathies  of  man's  better  nature,  and  elevated  the 
soul  in  its  aspirations  for  a  higher  and  nobler  life  in  this 
world  and  in  eternity. 

Classic  learning  has  contributed  to  only  a  few  of  the 
branches  of  knowledge,  while  the  Bible  has  poured  its 
treasures  of  virtue,  truth,  wisdom  and  holiness  into  the 
whole  structure  of  society.  Even  in  the  department  of 
the  fine  arts  the  Bible  has  done  more  than  antique  models 
in  inspiring  artistic  genius  with  those  ideal  conceptions 
of  the  grand  and  beautiful  which  have  touched  the  heart 
and  won  the  admiration  of  mankind.  Most  of  modern 
sculpture  was  formed  after  antique  models,  while  nearly 
all  of  the  grandest  paintings  of  the  Old  Masters  were  Bible 
scenes.  The  productions  of  the  chisel  are  cold,  colorless 
and  lifeless;  they  charm  the  eye  and  cultivate  the  taste, 
but  speak  not  to  the  heart,  while  the  warm,  glowing  and 
life-like  Bible  pictures,  around  which  the  imagination 
throws  a  halo  of  sacred  associations,  fill  the  heart 
with  high  and  holy  emotions,  give  the  pulses  a  quicker 
throb,  make  the  tear  drops  start,  and  thrill  the  soul  with 
the  eloquent  ecstacies  of  prayer. 

I  will  not  dwell  longer,  in  this  place,  upon  the  influence 
of  the  Bible  in  producing  and  controlling  the  civilization 
of  Christendom,  but  may  refer  to  the  subject  again  in 
subsequent  lectures. 

The  Bible  has  a  wonderful  inherent  power  of  self- 
preservation  and  protection.  It  has  encountered  and 
triumphed  over  the  learning,  philosophy,  genius  and 
prejudices  of  the  most  enlightened  nations  of  the  ancient 
world  ;  passed  unharmed  through  the  intensely  heated 
furnaces  of  persecution  ;  been  severely  tried  by  the  strong 


i8 

opposition  of  principalities  and  powers  ;  the  blasphemous 
criticisms  of  infidels  ;  the  irrational  cavils  of  learned  and 
accomplished  skeptics,  and  the  incomplete  discoveries 
and  crude  theories  and  conjectures  of  modern  science. 
Like  gold,  it  has  been  purified  in  the  fire  ;  like  the  fabled 
Antaeus,  it  has  been  strengthened  by  apparent  overthrow. 
Now  enlightened  science  is  becoming  its  strongest  ally, 
and  the  sharp  attrition  of  infidel  intellect  has  been  like 
the  wheel  of  the  lapidary  polishing  the  diamond  and 
bringing  out  its  purest  and  brightest  lustre. 

All  persons,  who,  in  any  age,  have  carefully  studied  the 
Bible,  with  an  honest  and  earnest  purpose  of  obtaining 
the  truth,  have  found,  like  Jacob  wrestling  with  the  angel, 
that  they  have  received  rich  intellectual  treasures  and 
consoling  spiritual  hopes  and  blessings  from  the  Most 
High. 

In  the  course  of  lectures  which  I  purpose  to  deliver  to 
you  I  will  speak  of  some  of  the  literary  excellencies 
and  beauties  of  the  Bible,  and  of  the  peculiar  character 
and  genius  of  the  people  to  whom  it  was  delivered  by  its 
divine  Author,  with  the  sincere  hope  that  my  imperfect 
efforts  may  induce  you  to  enter  with  earnest  hearts  and 
minds  upon  these  rich  and  beautiful  fields  of  history, 
philosophy  and  poetry. 


LECTURE   II. 


Education,  Character  and  Laws  ot  the  Hebrews. 


In  order  to  understand  and  properly  appreciate  the 
richness  and  beauty  of  the  literature  of  the  Hebrews  the 
student  should  make  himself  familiar  with  their  history 
and  language;  with  the  geography  and  scenery  of  their 
country;  with  their  laws  and  civil  and  religious  institu- 
tions; with  their  manners  and  customs,  and  other  charac- 
teristics that  distinguished  their  peculiar  national  life;  so 
that  in  imagination  he  can  transport  himself  back  to  the 
age  in  which  they  lived  and  catch  some  of  the  spirit  that 
animated  them  while  performing  their  part  in  the  great 
drama  of  civilization. 

This  information  can,  in  some  degree,  be  acquired  and 
comprehended  by  a  careful  and  devout  study  of  the  Bible, 
which  is  now  the  entire  library  of  the  history,  literature 
and  philosophy  of  that  ancient  and  most  wonderful  nation 
of  mankind.  I  feel  sure  that  we  lose  much  of  the  sublimitv 
and  literary  beauty  of  the  Old  Testament  by  not  being 
able  to  read  it  in  the  original  tongue.  But  few  of  us  can 
find  time  in  the  midst  of  our  professional  pursuits  to 
acquire  a  critical  knowledge  of  the  peculiar  structure  of." 
such  a  difficult,  ancient  and  unspoken  language,  and  we 
must  content  ourselves  with  the  English  translation,  and 
with  such  imperfect  information  as  to  the  spirit  and  genius 
of  the  original  as  may  be  derived  from  the  treatises  and 
commentaries  of  learned  and  accomplished  Hebrew 
scholars. 

The  English  Bible,  if  thoroughly  studied,  will  furnish. 
us  with  treasures  of  lofty  thought  and  poetic  imagery 
which  will  enrich  our  minds  with  the  highest  wisdom,  and 


20 

fill  our  hearts  with  pure  and  elevated  emotions,  and  give 
us  a  vivid  conception  of  the  glorious  beauty  of  Hebrew 
literature. 

The  history  of  the  Hebrews  is  rich  in  thrilling  incidents, 
and  can  be  distinctly  traced  back  through  the  dim  and 
shadowy  regions  of  the  past  to  the  genesis  of  the  nation, 
and  then  onward  through  an  unbroken  genealogy  of  their 
ancestors  to  the  childhood  of  the  human  race.  No  nation 
can  boast  of  such  a  proud  heraldry  as  the  Hebrews,  and 
they  exerted  an  animating  and  controlling  influence  upon 
all  the  nations  with  whom  they  came  in  contact.  This 
influence  among  the  nations  may  well  be  compared  with 
an  ever-flowing  stream,  producing  fertility  and  verdure  in 
all  lands  touched  by  its  refreshing  waters. 

Although  the  sacred  records  of  the  Hebrews  have 
much  internal  evidence  of  their  truthfulness,  still 
they  are  confirmed  by  impartial  science  which  translates 
aright  the  language  which  God  has  written  on  the  surface 
and  the  strata  of  the  earth  ;  by  the  invaluable  researches 
of  comparative  philology,  which  proves  that  the  whole 
earth  was  of  one  race  and  one  speech  ;  by  the  crumbling 
monuments  of  Egypt,  and  memorials  dug  from  the  graves 
of  buried  cities ;  by  the  habits  and  customs  of  many 
neighboring  nations  which  have  remained  unchanged  for 
three  decades  of  centuries  ;  and  by  the  universal  tradi- 
tions which  have  come  down  from  pre-historic  ages. 

The  history  and  poetry  of  the  Hebrews  are  so  intimately 
commingled  that  their  history  glows  with  poetry  and 
their  poetry  is  full  of  history.  Everywhere  on  the  golden 
thread  of  narrative  are  strung  the  precious  and  priceless 
pearls  and  gems  of  poetic  thought. 

The  book  of  Genesis  is  the  only  authentic  account 
which  we  have  of  the  primeval  history  of  mankind  for 
twenty-five  hundred  years.  The  most  recent  writer  in 
the  Old  Testament  was  contemporary  with  Herodotus,  the 
father  of  profane  history.     More  than  a  thousand  years 


21 

intervened  between  Moses  and  Malachi,  and  although  the 
sacred  books  of  the  Hebrews  contain  such  a  multiplicity 
of  topics  and  variety  of  contents,  and  were  the  productions 
of  various  minds  ;  composed  in  different  ages  and  under 
different  circumstances, they  exhibit  a  wonderful  continuity 
of  spirit,  thought,  style  and  purpose,  and  are  evidently 
but  parts  of  one  book,  emanating  from  one  divine  source. 
The  Bible  is  an  intellectual  and  moral  phenomenon  with- 
out a  parallel  in  the  worjd  of  letters.  It  stands  in  the 
fields  of  literature  as  a  sublime  original.  It  may  be  com- 
pared to  the  sun,  which  is  ever  shedding  its  inherent  and 
unwasting  warmth  and  brightness  that  fills  the  earth  with 
beneficence  and  beauty,  and  kindles  the  twinkling  radiance 
of  planets  and  stars  in  the  vast  and  deep  bosom  of  im- 
mensity. 

From  the  earliest  period  of  their  national  existence  the 
Hebrews  were  far  in  advance  of  surrounding  nations  in 
intellectual  and  moral  culture. 

Education  occupied  a  prominent  place  in  their  civil  and 
religious  institutions.  The  fathers  of  families  were  strictly 
enjoined  to  instruct  their  children  in  the  national 
laws,  history  and  sacred  literature.  The  system  of  educa- 
tion established  by  Moses  and  required  by  law  to  be 
observed,  was  general  in  its  application,  and  tended  to 
develop  all  the  intellectual  faculties  and  moral  feelings  of 
the  nation.  No  child  of  genius  was  prevented  by  penury 
and  neglect  from  drinking  at  the  pure  fountains  of  truth 
and  learning.  The  gates  of  knowledge  were  ever  open 
and  accessible  to  all,  and  duty  required  everyone  to  enter 
and  possess  the  rich  fruits  of  accumulated  wisdom,  and 
contribute  to  the  constantly  increasing  store.  Every  one 
from  chilhood  was  taught  the  learning  of  the  nation  and 
the  highest  and  noblest  duties  and  responsibilities  of  life. 
Thus  all  the  intellectual  and  moral  faculties  and  energies 
of  the  nation  were  fully  developed;  and  the  day  of 
Hebrew  civilization  continued  to  brighten  until  it  reached 


22 

its  noontide  splendor  in  the  age  of  Solomon  ;  when  its 
light  and  glory  was  shed  upon  surrounding  nations,  and 
was  transmitted  to  succeeding  ages. 

Under  the  laws  and  institutions  of  Moses  the  priests 
and  Levites  had  no  inheritance,  except  the  cities  that  were 
appropriated  to  them  for  residences,  and  they  were  sup- 
ported by  tithes  annually  collected  from  the  tribes.  By 
divine  direction  they  were  set  apart  for  religious  services, 
and  as  instructors  of  the  people. .  They  formed  a  sacerdotal 
order,  but  they  had  no  means  of  acquiring  large  estates 
which  would  give  them  undue  influence,  and  they  could 
not  obtain  political  power  by  operating  upon  the  super- 
stitious fears  of  the  people.  They  could  make  no  united 
and  concentrated  effort  to  unduly  control  the  political 
institutions  of  the  State,  as  under  the  wise  laws  of  Moses 
their  prophetic  destiny  was  accomplished,  they  were 
"  divided  in  Jacob  and  scattered  in  Israel."  They  were 
made  special  guardians  of  the  laws,  and  as  their  mainten- 
ance depended  upon  the  existence  and  observance  of  the 
laws,  self  interest  prompted  them  to  oppose  innovations 
and  revolutions  in  the  State.  Thus  they  constituted  a 
conservative  and  intelligent  political  element,  ever  active 
in  preserving  the  peace  and  good  order  of  society,  and 
always  contributing  to  the  mental,  moral  and  religious 
culture  of  the  people.  They  occupied  this  important 
position  during  most  of  the  period  of  the  commonwealth, 
but  in  the  days  of  Samuel  many  associations  for  a  higher 
public  education  were  formed,  called  Schools  of  the 
Prophets. 

These  schools  were  attended  by  the  young  men  of 
Israel,  where  they  were  taught  the  laws  and  literature  of 
their  country,  and  were  instructed  in  sacred  music.  The 
teachers  of  these  high  schools  occupied  prominent  positions 
in  all  legislative  assemblies,  and  they  gave  public  instruc- 
tions on  the  Sabbath  and  at  the  great  national  festivals. 
From  these  schools,  in  a  subsequent  age,  God  called  most 


23 

of  those  inspired  messengers  who  constituted  "the  goodly 
fellowship  of  the  prophets,"  and  who  left  such  a  glorious 
literature  for  the  Hebrews  and  for  all  mankind. 

The  moral,  social  and  political  character  of  the  Hebrews 
has  been  the  subject  of  much  investigation  and  discussion, 
and  I  think  that  they  have  not  always  been  treated  with 
the  fairness  and  liberality  which  have  been  accorded  to 
other  nations.  The  only  history  of  the  ancient  Hebrews 
is  contained  in  the  Old  Testament.  This  history  is  sternly 
truthful,  and  was  written  under  the  influence  of  divine  in- 
spiration for  the  purpose  of  guidance  and  instruction  to 
the  nation  in  its  future  progress,  and  also  for  the  benefit 
of  all  succeeding  ages.  No  national  pride  and  love  of 
country  influenced  the  prejudices  and  warped  the  judg- 
ments of  the  sacred  historians  and  induced  them  to 
unduly  panegyrize  their  countrymen  and  fill  their  annals 
with  the  highly  wrought  creations  of  fiction  and  fable. 
Their  narratives  are  facts  and  not  fancies,  and  they  are 
filled  with  important  truths  and  not  moral  and  social 
theories.  They  were  the  stern  censors  of  national  vices 
and  not  the  apologists  of  error  and  crime.  They  wrote 
not  for  self-fame,  or  to  stimulate  national  vanity  and 
ambition,  and  thus  win  popular  applause.  They  wished 
to  reform  and  regenerate  their  people  by  showing  to  them 
the  heinousness  and  folly  of  sin  and  disobedience  to 
Jehovah,  and  point  out  the  true  paths  of  individual  and 
national  prosperity  and  glory. 

In  judging  the  character  of  the  Hebrews  by  their 
history,  we  subject  them  to  a  sterner  ordeal  than  is  applied 
to  any  other  nation.  The  historians  and  poets  of  Greece 
and  Rome  employed  all  the  powers  of  their  inventive 
faculties  to  win  fame  for  themselves  and  to  advance  the 
glory  of  their  nation;  and  their  productions  were  filled 
with  highly  wrought  eulogy  and  fascinating  fables.  Most 
of  the  events  and  incidents  mentioned  in  the  Iliad  and 
^Eneid  are  ingenious   fictions,  and  the  imagination  of  the 


24 

poets  made  heroes  and  demigods  out  of  rapacious  and 
cruel  chieftains.  Herodotus,  Thucydides  and  XenophonT 
Livy,  Sallust  and  Tacitus  did  more  for  the  renown  of 
Greece  and  Rome  by  the  partiality  and  brilliancy  of  their 
fancy  than  was  achieved  by  the  wisdom  of  philosophers 
and  statesmen,  and  the  real  exploits  of  generals  and 
consuls. 

In  modern  times  we  find  the  fame  of  nations  and  the 
character  of  races,  in  a  great  degree,  dependent  upon  the 
partiality,  patriotism  and  creative  genius  of  historians  and 
poets. 

In  instituting  a  comparison  between  the  Hebrews  and 
other  nations  we  should  not  forget  this  important  fact, 
that  the  character  of  one  is  sternly  and  truthfully  de- 
lineated by  inspired  penmen,  while  the  character  of  other 
peoples  are  idealized  by  the  partial  pencils  of  human 
genius. 

We  also  do  great  injustice  to  the  Hebrews  by  judging 
them  according  to  the  standard  of  our  own  times.  They 
lived  in  an  age  of  almost  universal  moral  barbarism. 
They  were  not  surrounded  by  nations  of  highly  cultivated 
tastes,  refined  sensibilities  and  elevated  sentiments,  and 
could  not,  by  social  and  commercial  intercourse,  receive 
the  accumulated  blessings  of  an  advanced  and  rapidly 
expanding  civilization. 

To  them  the  oracles  of  divine  truth  were  obscurely 
communicated  by  types  and  ceremonies  of  worship,  and 
the  symbolic  teachings  of  priests  and  prophets.  Their 
minds  and  hearts  were  not  illumined,  as  ours  have  been,  by 
the  glorious  light  of  the  Gospel,  and  by  the  numerous 
manifestations  of  a  Divine  Providence  for  eighteen  hundred 
years.  We  certainly  would  be  unjust  judges  if  we  pro- 
nounce judgment  of  condemnation  against  the  Hebrews 
because  they  do  not  come  up  to  the  present  standard  of 
Christian  enlightenment  and  virtue. 

In  forming  our  opinion   of  the  character  of  the  ancient 


25 

Hebrews  our  judgments  are  too  much  warped  and  preju- 
diced by  supposing  them  to  have  been  like  the  bigoted, 
fanatical  and  cruel  Jews  who  rejected,  persecuted  and 
crucified  our  Saviour.  We  seem  to  forget  the  moral 
degeneracy  of  the  race  produced  by  centuries  of  dissension 
and  discord,  calamity  and  servitude;  by  the  loss  of  the 
sacred  symbols  of  the  first  Temple;  their  noble  and  in- 
spiring language;  the  voice  of  prophecy  and  the  elevated 
spirituality  of  their  religious  faith,  and  also  by  the  cor- 
rupting influence  of  pagan  civilization  with  which  they 
were  brought  into  more  immediate  contact  by  the  exten- 
sion of  Persian,  Grecian  and  Roman  conquest. 

The  Greeks  of  the  time  when  St.  Paul  visited  Athens 
were  not  like  the  Greeks  who  fought  at  Marathon  and 
Salamis.  The  Romans  who  yielded  a  servile  submission 
to  Alaric  were  wholly  unlike  the  citizens  of  republican 
Rome  who,  with  heroic  fortitude  and  dauntless  valor,'  sur- 
rounded theCapitol  when  they  heard  the  tremendous  tidings 
of  Cannae.  Why  should  we  judge  the  Hebrews  by  a  differ- 
ent standard  ?  Why  should  we  reverse  the  orderof  divine 
judgment  and  visit  the  sins  of  the  children  upon  the  fathers? 

If  we  will  divest  ourselves  of  the  prejudices  which  have 
been  engendered  in  the  Christian  world  by  the  conduct  of 
the  Jews  towards  our  Saviour,  and  calmly  judge  the  ancient 
Hebrews  by  the  age  in  which  they  lived,  the  circumstances 
by  which  they  were  surrounded,  and  the  influences  which 
they  have  exerted  upon  all  subsequent  times,  we  must 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Chosen  People  of  Jehovah 
were  not  only  a  great  but  a  wonderful  people. 

I  will  now  briefly  refer  to  the  influence  of  the  civil  laws 
of  Moses  in  forming  the  character  of  the  ancient  Hebrews, 
and  in  promoting  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  the  nation 
by  cementing  the  bonds  of  social  and  political  union,  and 
thus  insuring  a  constantly  progressive  civilization.  The 
subject  is  worthy  of  a  more  extended  notice  than  the 
limits  of  this  lecture  will  allow. 


26 

When  we  consider  the  antiquity  of  those  laws,  the  moral 
darkness  of  the  age  in  which  they  were  promulgated,  the ' 
consummate  ability  and  extensive  knowledge  which  they 
display,  and  the  vivifying  influences  which  they  have  so 
long  exerted  upon  the  destinies  of  mankind,  we  must  feel 
that  they  were  the  productions  of  supernatural  genius  and 
wisdom  and  are  worthy  of  our  constant  study  and  most 
devout  veneration. 

The  Hebrews  were  a  nation  pre-eminently  governed  by 
law.  The  books  of  the  law  not  only  regulated  the  political* 
social  and  domestic  relations  of  the  people,  but  were  the 
text  books  of  their  education  and  culture,  and  penetrated 
and  permeated  their  entire  literature.  The  principles  of 
those  laws  constituted  an  integral  and  important  part  in 
all  historical,  prophetical  and  poetical  writings,  and  influ- 
enced the  emotional  and  thought-life  of  the  people. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  critically  to  analyze  those  laws 
and  point  out  their  variousexcellencies.  This  subject  has 
been  fully  considered  and  elaborated  with  much  ability  by 
Prof.  Wines  in  his  commentaries  on  the  Laws  of  the 
Ancient  Hebrews.  I  will  quote  with  approbation  the 
concluding  paragraph  of  the  chapter  on  Fundamental 
Principles: 

"  Such  then,  as  T  conceive,  were  the  great  ideas  and 
fundamental  principles  which  lay  at  the  basis  of  the 
Hebrew  State.  The  unity  of  God,  the  unity  of  the  nation, 
civil  liberty,  political  equality,  an  elective  magistracy,  the 
sovereignty  of  the  people,  the  responsibility  of  public  officers 
to  their  constituents,  a  prompt,  cheap  and  impartial 
administration  of  justice,  peace  and  fellowship  with  other 
nations,  agriculture,  universal  industry,  the  inviolability 
of  private  property,  the  sacredness  of  the  family  relations, 
the  sanctity  of  human  life,  universal  education,  social 
union,  a  well  adjusted  balance  of  powers,  and  an  enlight- 
ened, dignified,  venerable  public  opinion  were  the  vital 
elements  of  the  constitution  of  Moses.     What  better  basis 


27 

of  civil  polity,  what  nobler  maxims  of  political  wisdom 
does  the  nineteenth  century  offer  to  our  contemplation, 
despite  its  boast  of  social  progress  and  reform.  The 
institutions  founded  on  these  maxims  tower  up  amid  the 
barbaric  darkness  and  despotism  of  antiquity,  the  great 
beacon  light  of  the  world;  diffusing  the  radiance  of  a 
political  philosophy,  full  of  truth  and  wisdom,  over  all  the 
ages  which  have  succeeded  that,  in  which  they  were  first 
promulgated  to  mankind." 

We  refer  to  this  subject  in  this  place  only  for  the  purpose 
of  drawing  the  legitimate  inference,  that  there  must  have 
existed  a  condition  of  high  moral,  social  and  intellectual 
advancement  among  the  Hebrews  after  they  had  reached 
the  Promised  Land  and  become  a  well  organized  nation 
under  the  laws  and  institutions  of  Moses. 

Surely  there  can  be  no  better  evidence  of  the  character 
and  condition  of  a  people  than  the  system  of  laws  which 
they  reverence  and  cheerfully  obey;  for  a  system  of  laws 
is  always  regarded  as  the  concentrated  wisdom  and  expe- 
rience of  a  nation — an  index  of  public  virtue  and  intelli- 
gence and  a  standard  of  civilization. 

With  such  civil  and  political  laws  and  institutions  we 
cannot  be  surprised  that  the  Hebrews  have  bestowed  such 
rich  intellectual  and  moral  treasures  upon  mankind.  In 
this  respect  they  have  partially  fulfilled  the  promise  which 
God  made  to  Abraham  as  the  reward  of  his  sublime  faith, 
"In  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed." 

Although  the  nations  of  modern  times  have  received 
such  manifold  blessings  from  the  Ancient  Hebrews,  they 
do  not  fully  recognize  the  fact  and  gratefully  acknowledge 
the  obligation  they  owe  to  that  God-chosen  people.  The 
rulers,  statesmen,  jurists  and  scholars  who  now  control 
the  destinies  of  nations  and  advance  the  progress  of 
civilization,  are  disposed  to  regard  the  classic  nations  of 
antiquity  as  the  primal  sources  of  wisdom,  knowledge  and 
refined  culture,  when  in  truth   those   nations  only  dimly 


28 

reflected  the  intellectual  light  which  emanated  from  the 
greater  orb  of  truth  and  wisdom  that  shone  over  the  land 
of  Palestine. 

A  candid,  intelligent  and  industrious  enquirer  after 
truth,  when  he  fully  examines  the  history,  laws,  institu- 
tions, moral  teachings,  and  the  learning  and  literature 
of  the  ancient  Hebrews,  and  then  traces  the  benign 
influences  which  they  exerted  upon  other  ancient  nations 
and  then  upon  the  Gospel  dispensation  and  upon  Christian 
civilization,  will  greatly  admire  and  venerate  that  people 
whom  God  chose  as  the  depositaries  of  His  sacred  oracles 
and  as  the  pioneers  of  human  progress. 

The  Hebrews  were  indeed  pioneers  in  the  fields  of 
moral  and  intellectual  progress.  They  possessed  a  liter- 
ature abounding  in  the  enlightened  principles  of  jurispru- 
dence and  social  advancement,  enriched  with  instructive 
historic  truths  and  adorned  with  the  highest  strains  of 
poetry  before  the  keel  of  Cecrops  broke  the  ALgean 
wave  or  Cadmus  taught  his  alphabetic  mystery  to  the 
rude  warriors  of  Thebes. 

For  the  purpose  of  preparing  the  Chosen  People  for 
their  great  and  distinctive  destiny,  God  established 
among  them  peculiar  laws  and  institutions  which  kept 
them  from  mingling  with  and  being  contaminated  by  the 
demoralizing  influences  of  surrounding  nations. 

Thus  was  generated  a  national  pride  and  caste  which 
prevented  them  from  being  imitators  and  copyists,  to 
much  extent,  of  the  manners,  customs  and  thoughts  of 
other  peoples.  After  their  settlement  in  Palestine  their 
literature  became  as  distinctive  and  peculiar  as  their  civil 
and  religious  institutions,  and  for  several  centuries  re- 
mained comparatively  free  from  the  admixture  of  foreign 
elements,  and  was  enlarged  and  enriched  by  the  produc- 
tions of  native  genius.  In  their  national  seclusion  they 
studied  carefully  the  rich  volume  of  nature  presented  in 
their  fertile  and  beautiful  land,  and  from  thence  they  drew 


29 

many  of  their  sublime  thoughts  and  appropriate  meta- 
phors. With  poetic  ardor  they  loved  the  sweet  and  quiet 
vales  with  murmering  streams  and  gushing  springs.  To 
them  the  odorous  breezes  were  musical  as  they  whispered 
through  olive  groves  and  clustering  vineyards,  or  gently 
waved  the  plumed  palms;  and  their  souls  were  filled  with 
emotions  of  grandeur  and  sublimity  when  the  fierce  storm- 
king  swept  the  cedar  harps  of  the  mountains.  Their 
habits  and  occupations  inclined  them  to  poetic  conceptions. 
Most  of  them  were,  in  the  early  periods  of  their  history, 
husbandmen,  vinedressers  and  shepherds,  dwelling  -in 
pastoral  simplicity  in  the  humble  homes  for  which  they 
had  a  title  from  Jehovah.  They  were  not  then  restless 
and  greedy  for  gain,  but  in  calm,  rural  repose,  they  trusted 
to  the  watchful  guidance  and  care  of  their  covenant-keep- 
ing God.  In  this  condition  of  contentment  and  serenity 
their  minds  and  hearts  were  prepared  to  receive  vivid  im- 
pressions of  the  beautiful.  Day  by  day  they  witnessed 
the  soft  radiance  of  the  dawn  and  breathed  the  fragrance 
of  the  morning,  and  when  their  pleasant  labors  were  ended 
they  gazed  with  rapture  upon  the  golden  glories  of  the 
evening  skies.  When  the  early  and  latter  rains  came  they 
rejoiced  at  the  prospects  of  plenty  ;  and  at  the  time  of 
the  harvest  and  the  vintage  they  went  forth  with  glad- 
some songs  to  reap  the  golden  sheaves  and  gather  the 
purple  clusters,  rich  and  heavy,  for  the  foaming  wine-press. 
When  they  drove  their  bleating  flocks  to  where  the  pastures 
were  green  and  the  cool  waters  were  flowing,  or  wandered 
with  their  lowing  herds  upon  the  breezy  hills,  their  eyes 
were  filled  with  scenes  of  quiet  beauty,  and  their  minds 
with  glorious  thoughts,  and  these  scenes  and  thoughts 
were  softened  and  sanctified  when  the  solemn  stillness  of 
the  night  was  resting  on  the  slumbering  earth. 

When  the  silvery  moonbeams  softly  glisten 
And  all  is  hushed  save  the  voice  of  the  soul, 
And  the  silent  stars  gently  wink  and  listen 
While  heaven's  eternal  melodies  roll. 


30 

We  will  not  dwell  in  this  place  upon  the  scenery  and 
natural  beauties  of  the  land  of  Palestine,  but  reserve  the 
subject  for  consideration  in  a  subsequent  lecture. 

In  our  next  lecture  we  will  consider  the  noble  language 
in  which  Hebrew  thought  was  enshrined  and  transmitted 
as  a  precious  and  invaluable  legacy  to  all  succeeding  ages. 


LECTURE   III. 


The  Hebrew  as  a  Poetical  Language. 


The  poetry  of  the  Hebrews  was  written  in  one  of  the 
oldest  of  human  languages  that  has  been  preserved  in  a 
written  literature.  Some  learned  philologists  were  of  the 
opinion  that  the  Hebrew  was  the  original  language  of 
man,  and  was  directly  communicated  to  Adam  in  Para- 
dise, and  at  the  confusion  of  tongues  was  preserved  by 
Divine  Providence  in  the  family  of  Heber,  who  did  not 
engage  in  the  impious  work  of  the  tower-builders  of 
Babel.  We  have  the  highest  authority  for  believing  that 
there  was  once  an  age  in  which  "  the  whole  earth  was  of 
one  language  and  of  one  speech."  We  also  know  that  God 
confounded  this  common  language  of  mankind,  and  did 
so  for  the  purpose  of  scattering  them  as  different  peoples 
over  the  earth.  We  have  no  facts  to  induce  the  belief 
that  the  original  language  existed  in  its  primal  structure 
among  any  of  the  newly  formed  races,  and  there  are  many 
plausible  conjectures  which  tend  to  show  the  truth  of  a 
contrary  hypothesis.  A  common  language  was  a  strong 
bond  of  union  that  made  the  human  race  one  people,  and 
we  are  inclined  to  think  that  when  the  race  was  divided 
into  different  peoples  by  the  confusion  of  their  speech 
the  original  language  ceased  to  have  an  entire  and  dis- 
tinctive existence. 

The  verbal  analogies  and  affinities  which  existed  in  all 
the  primitive  languages  clearly  show  that  they  sprung 
from  the  same  parent  stock,  which  seems  to  have  perished 
in  furnishing  vital  sap  to  its  various  offshoots. 

Much  careful  investigation  has  been  made,  and  many 
plausible  theories  have  been  suggested  upon  this  subject, 


32 

but  no  conclusion  has  been  reached  entirely  satisfactory 
to  all  learned  philologists. 

I  am  of  the  opinion,  from  the  very  limited  investigation 
which  I  have  been  able  to  make,  that  the  Hebrew  was 
a  dialect  of  a  language  spoken  by  various  ancient  Shemitic 
nations  of  Western  Asia,  and  was  formed  into  a  distinctive 
language, like  other  cultivated  languages  have  been  formed 
from  grafts  without  and  germs  within,  and  grew  with  the 
increasing  wants  and  intelligence  of  the  people. 

I  am  also  of  the  opinion  that  the  antediluvians  reached 
an  advanced  stage  of  civilization,  which  was  transmitted 
by  Noah  and  his  family  to  the  post-diluvian  races.  From 
this  source  the  Assyrians  and  Egyptians  derived  much  of 
that  knowledge  and  culture  which  enabled  them  to  exhibit 
such  advancement  in  the  arts  and  sciences  at  the  earliest 
historic  eras.  The  ancestors  of  Abraham,  although 
idolaters,  were  not  barbarians,  and  they  possessed  an 
organized  language,  and  perhaps  a  written  literature.  This 
language  was  carried  by  Abraham  into  Canaan,  and  soon 
after  that  period  of  migration  was  enlarged  and  elevated 
in  giving  expression  to  the  sublime  monotheistic  truths 
and  glorious  promises  which  Jehovah  communicated  to 
his  chosen  servant.  It  also  received  accessions  from 
the  cognate  speech  of  the  Canaanitish  tribes  among 
whom  the  Patriarchs  dwelt  so  long  in  peaceful  and  familiar 
intercourse.  The  descendants  of  Jacob  dwelt  for  several 
centuries  among  the  Egyptians,  who  were  the  most  highly 
civilized  people  of  that  early  age,  and  their  superior  learn- 
ing and  culture  must  have  had  some  influence  upon  the 
language  of  the  subject  race. 

The  tribes  of  Isreal  cannot  properly  be  considered  as  a 
nation  until  the  time  of  the  Exodus,  when  Moses,  by  a 
peculiar  code  of  laws  and  novel  institutions,  gave  them  an 
independent  and  distinctive  national  existence.  He  was 
possessed  of  splendid  genius  and  a  strong,  practical  intel- 
lect,  and  was  familiar  with  all  the   learning  and    literary 


33 

culture  of  his  times;  and  was,  moreover,  divinely  com- 
missioned and  inspired  for  his  great  work  of  liberating 
his  oppressed  people,  and  preparing  them  to  be  a  peculiar 
people  unto  the  Lord.  For  the  purpose  of  effecting  this 
design  we  may  well  suppose  that  he  made  changes  and 
modifications  in  the  then  existing  language  of  his  people, 
so  as  to  suit  the  conditions  of  their  new  and  peculiar 
national  life. 

I  believe  that  it  is  now  generally  agreed  among  scholars 
that  the  art  of  alphabetic  writing  existed  long  anterior 
to  the  age  of  Moses,  and  that  many  ancient  nations  of 
Asia  possessed  a  written  literature.  The  ancestors  of 
Abraham  lived  in  a  land  which  was  the  starting  point 
of  civilization,  and  we  know  tliat  the  Hebrew  Patriarchs, 
by  their  intelligence  and  force  of  character,  occupied  a 
distinguished  position  among  their  Canaanitish  and 
Phoenician  neighbors.  We  may  well  suppose  that  the 
chosen  people,  with  their  many  advantages,  were  not 
destitute  of  the  learning  and  arts  which  existed  in  their 
age  in  the  country  in  which  they  sojourned,  and  in  the 
immediate  vicinity.  For  more  than  a  century  after  their 
migration  into  Egypt  they  were  in  much  favor  with  the 
kings  and  nobility  of  that  highly  civilized  people.  They 
must  have  had  at  least  some  memorials  consisting  of 
well  defined  traditions  of  ancestral  history,  earnest  hymns 
cf  thanksgiving  and  praise;  and  many  important  events 
must  have  been  commemorated  by  ballads  and  songs,  the 
voices  of  their  intelligent  thought-life  and  elevated 
affections  and  emotions.  It  requires  no  unreasonable 
stretch  of  fancy  to  suppose  that  such  a  people  had  made 
as  great  advancement  as  other  nations  with  whom  they 
were  in  constant  association.  Some  scholars  think  that 
the  book  of  Genesis  contains  portions  of  various  smaller 
books  which  were  the  sacred  literature  of  the  Patriarchal 
Church,  and  were  in  the  possession  of  the  Hebrews  while 
in   Egypt,    and  were  combined  and  enlarged  by  Moses 


34 

under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Upon  this  subject 
there  is  much  contrariety  of  opinion  among  Biblical 
scholars,  and  I  have  not  the  space  in  a  lecture,  or  the 
learning  properly  to  discuss  the  matter. 

We  believe  that  the  Pentateuch  in  its  present  literary 
form  is  the  work  of  Moses.  We  think  we  are  sustained 
in  this  opinion  by  the  internal  evidence  which  the  work 
affords,  and  by  the  uniform  history  and  traditions  of  the 
Hebrew  nation.  We  find  the  Pentateuch  in  a  language 
of  mature  development  in  the  earliest  periods  of  Hebrew 
national  history,  and  it  was  always  regarded  with  sacred 
veneration  by  the  nation,  and  as  the  standard  of  their 
literary  culture. 

Some  philologists  suppose  that  Moses  was  the  author 
of  the  written  language  of  the  Hebrews  and  formed  it  as 
a  sacred  language  under  the  same  divine  influence  which 
inspired  him  with  supernatural  wisdom  in  constructing 
his  civil  and  religious  institutions.  In  studying  God's 
wondrous  plan  in  developing  human  civilization,  there  is 
no  necessity  for  supposing  the  exertion  of  His  miraculous 
power,  where  results  can  be  reasonably  accounted  for  by 
natural  causes  and  processes  controlled  by  His  usual 
providences.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  fact  that  such  a 
sublime  literature  and  language  existed  among  the 
Hebrews  at  such  >  an  early  period  of  their  national 
existence  furnishes  strong  evidence  that  they  were  an 
intellectual  people  of  considerable  culture.  They  had 
been  much  demoralized  by  the  oppressions  of  a  hard 
bondage  and  by  the  corrupting  influences  of  Egyptian 
society,  and  this  literature  was  intended  to  produce  a 
moral  regeneration,  and  before  the  end  of  the  long  desert 
pilgrimage  this  object  was,  in  some  degree,  accomplished. 
They  frequently  heard  the  reading  of  their  history  and 
laws;  they  witnessed  the  grand  and  awful  manifestations 
at  Sinai;  the  imposing  services  of  the  Tabernacle;  the 
numerous  beneficences  of  Jehovah,  and  His  just  and  severe 


35 

chastisements.  This  discipline  of  the  desert,  and  the 
wise  instructions,  the  patient  forbearance  and  paternal 
care  of  Moses  greatly  elevated  the  character  of  the 
Hebrews  and  prepared  them  for  their  noble  destiny  in  the 
Promised  Land. 

As  we  cannot  read    the   Hebrew   language,  in  speaking 
of   its   force,    richness   and   beauty  we  can  only  express 
some  of  the  opinions  of  scholars  who  have  written   upon 
the  subject.     This  language  is  peculiar  for  the   number  of 
verbs  and   their  derivatives  that  abound  in   its  structure. 
In  every  language  the  verb  is   the   animating   power,  the 
vital  principle,  that  gives  the  force,  energy  and  beauty  of 
human    thought    and    emotion.     Herder    says,     "in    the 
Hebrew  the  verb  is  almost  the  whole  of  the  language.     It 
is  an  abyss  of  verbs,  a  sea  of  billows,  where  motion,  action 
rolls  on    without   end."     He   makes    the    language   speak 
and   say,    "I    live,    move  and  act.     Tne  senses    and   the 
passions,  not  abstract   reasoners   and   philosophers,    were 
my    creators.     Thus    I   am    formed   for  poetry,    nay,   my 
whole  essence  is  poetry."     That  eloquent  poet  and  learned 
and  accomplished   Hebraist   also  remarks  that   the   lan- 
guage is  barren  of  mere  abstract  terms,  but  rich  in  words 
representing  sentiment,  passion,  emotion  and  the  various 
objects  of  nature.     'Tt  is  the  very  breath  of  the  soul.     It 
does    not  claim    the    beauty  of  sound  like  the  Greek,  but 
it  breathes  and  lives.     Such  it  is  to  us  who  are  but  partially 
acquainted  with  its  pronunciation,  and  for  whom  its  deep- 
er gutturals  remain  unuttered  and  unutterable.     In  those 
old  times  when  the  soul  was  unshackled,   what  fullness  of 
emotion,    what    store  of  words   that  breathe   must  have 
inspired    it.     It  was,  to  use  an  expression  of  its    own," 
"  The  spirit    of    God    that  spake  in    it.     The  breath   of 
the   Almighty  that  gave  it  life."     Such  was  the  language 
in  which  the  thoughts,  feelings  and  emotions  of  the  ancient 
Hebrews  were  enshrined   and  transmitted  to  succeeding 
ages.     We  have  but  little  information  as  to  the  growth  of 


36 

the  Hebrew  language  during  the  commonwealth  which 
existed  for  four  hundred  years.  The  books  of  Joshua, 
Judges  and  Ruth  contain  a  short  and  fragmentary  history 
of  those  times,  but  they  were  probably  written  in  a  subse- 
quent age.  We  know,  however,  from  the  writings  which 
certainly  existed  before  and  after  the  commonwealth  that 
no  marked  dialectical  or  idiomatic  changes  were  made  in 
the  vocabulary  or  structure  of  the  cultured  and  literary 
language. 

The  Pentateuch  possessed  such  inherent  literary  excel- 
lence, was  so  full  of  the  highest  wisdom,  was  so  frequently 
read  and  studied  and  was  so  devoutly  venerated  by  the 
people,  that  in  the  midst  of  so  many  national  vicisitudes 
it  preserved  the  literary  language  from  any  change  but 
that  of  very  gradual  development.  Although  we  have 
so  few  literary  remains  of  those  times  we  are  well  satisfied 
that  the  people  did  not  live  in  a  condition  of  intellectual 
sloth  and  barrenness.  They  often  violated  thei* covenant 
with  Jehovah  and  were  visited  with  the  severe  chastise- 
ments of  His  corrective  providence,  but  they  enjoyed 
long  intervals  of  prosperity,  peace  and  divine  favor,  and 
observed  the  laws  and  institutions  established  by  Moses 
for  the  promotion  of  intellectual  and  moral  culture. 
Toward  the  close  of  the  commonwealth  the  Hebrews  had 
reached  such  a  condition  of  intelligence  as  "to  require  a 
more  enlightened  system  of  mental  and  religious  instruc- 
tion than  that  afforded  by  the  Priests  and  Levites,  and  to 
meet  this  requirement  Samuel  organized  the  Schools  of 
the  Prophets.  Up  to  that  time  the  Pentateuch  was  the 
library  of  their  legal  and  religious  literature  and  the  chief 
repository  of  the  vocabulary  of  their  sacred  and  cultivated 
language,  but  the  active  and  inventive  intellect,  and  the 
highly  imaginative  and  emotional  nature  of  the  people 
must  have  produced  a  rich  and  varied  literature,  the  out- 
growth of  their  social  and  domestic  condition,  and  ex- 
pressed in  the  popular  dialect  of  common  life.     That  was 


37 

the  poetical  and  heroic  age,  and  from  the  few  glimpses 
which  we  have  of  its  history  we  feel  sure  that  it  was  full 
of  scenes  and  events  well  calculated  to  arouse  the  emotions 
and  inspire  the  genius  of  an  earnest  and  imaginative  race, 
and  like  other  primitive  peoples,  they  must  have  expressed 
their  vivid  conceptions  and  fervid  emotions  in  the  language 
of  poetry  and  song.  The  Hebrews  of  subsequent  times 
regarded  the  period  of  the  commonwealth  as  a  glorious 
era  in  their  history,  and  with  patriotic  affection  and  pride 
they  cherished  the  ballads,  songs  and  traditions  of  their 
heroic  ancestry. 

The  Hebrew  language  reached  its  highest  condition  of 
culture  in  the  age  of  David  and  Solomon,  and  from  the 
time  of  Hezekiah  it  commenced  to  decline  by  the  com- 
mixture of  foreign  elements,  and  almost  ceased  to  be  a 
spoken  language  during  the  Babylonish  captivity.  The 
Hebrews  were  in  captivity  only  seventy  years,  and  yet 
when  a  small  portion  of  two  of  the  tribes,  called  from 
about  that  time  Jews,  returned  from  exile,  there  were  only 
a  few  of  the  most  learned  scribes  who  could  write,  trans- 
late or  speak  the  noble  language  of  their  forefathers. 

The  Jews  never  spoke  or  became  familiar  with  the  old 
language,  and  the  Scriptures  used  in  the  synagogue 
worship  were  translated  by  interpreters  into  the  Aramaic 
tongue  until  theSeptuagint  version  furnished  the  Scriptures 
in  a  rich  and  beautiful  language,  understood  by  all  intelligent 
Jews  who  dwelt  in  the  limits  of  the  Alexandrian  Empire. 
Among  the  educated  Jews  who  dwelt  in  Palestine  and 
Babylon  the  old  Hebrew  still  remained  as  the  language 
of  literature  and  as  it  was  used  by  the  Rabbins  and 
learned  Doctors  of  the  Law.  The  Hebrew  never  again  be- 
came a  vernacular  speech.  Portions  of  the  Latin  and  Greek 
still  exist  as  living  elements  in  some  of  the  languages  of 
Modern  Europe,  but  the  old  Hebrew  as  a  vital  speech  no 
longer  breathes  from  living  lips,  and  its  thoughts  are  alone 
embalmed  in  the  hearts  and  memories  of  mankind. 


3« 

Although  we  cannot  fully,  comprehend  the  accents 
and  cadences  of  dead  languages,  they  are  well  adapted 
for  the  preservation  of  the  thoughts  and  characteristics 
of  nations.  They  are  stereotyped  in  form  and  are  not 
subject  to  the  changes  and  modifications  of  a  living  speech. 
They  retain  much  of  the  force  and  brilliancy  of  national 
thought,  but  as  they  lose  the  rhythm,  harmony  and 
passionate  energy  of  pronunciation  they  do  not  fully  repre- 
sent the  fervid  emotions  and  affections  that  animated  the 
hearts  of  the  people. 

Although  so  many  historic  truths  and  literary  treasures 
are  embalmed  in  a  dead  language,  still  it  is  like  a  gallery  of- 
painting  and  statuary.  In  the  productions  of  the  painter 
we  see  and  admire  skillful  imitation  and  delicacy  of  finish, 
but  we  know  that  the  copied  scenes  and  objects  do  not 
equal  the  living  and  glowing  beauties  of  nature  which 
inspired  the  genius  of  the  artist. 

The  most  perfect  statue,  wrought  with  exquisite  and 
marvelous  skill,  and  combining  the  beauties  and  excel- 
lences selected  from  various  living  forms  by  the  quick 
discerning  eye  and  cultivated  taste  of  the  artist,  are  inad- 
equate representations  of  the  animated  forms  of  symmetry 
and  grace,  which  inspire  the  heart  with  purer  and  nobler 
emotions  of  the  beautiful  than  the  highest  ideals  of  genius. 

Apelles,  with  matchless  skill,  painted  Campaspe  and 
won  the  favor  and  gold  of  Alexander,  but  he  could  not 
copy  that  inimitable  beauty  which  inspired  his  heart  with 
a  love  dearer  to  him  than  wealth  and  immortal  fame. 

All  the  voices  of  the  past  are  voices  from  the  grave. 
Nations,  although  dead,  still  speak  through  their  preserved 
literatures  and  teach  us  much  valuable  knowledge,  but 
we  cannot  hear  the  glowing  and  thrilling  eloquence  and 
tender  pathos  of  the  living  speech  that  once  so  intensely 
expressed  their  varied  thoughts  and  emotions. 

In  the  natural  world  we  can  find  many  illustrations  of 
the  familiar  truth  which  we  have  presented,   but   we    will 


39 

make  only  one  reference.  A  frozen  stream  may  be  as 
clear  as  crystal  and  sparkle  and  gleam  in  the  sunlight, 
but  it  has  none  of  the  motion  and  melody  of  the  living 
waters  as  they  murmur  among  the  rocks  or  ripple  on 
the  sandy  shore.  In  one  condition  the  stream  is  invested 
and  surrounded  by  the  brilliant  but  cold  beauties  of 
nature,  while  in  the  other  it  flows  onward  in  musical  tones 
amid  the  bloom,  verdure  and  freshness  of  Spring  and  the 
golden  richness  of  the  Summer. 

The  old  Hebrew  language  has  uttered  no  living  voice 
for  more  than  twenty  centuries,  and  the  most  learned 
Hebraist  of  our  times,  after  the  deep  silence  of  so  many 
ages,  cannot  revive  the  cadences  of  its  pronunciation,  and 
thus  form  an  adequate  conception  of  the  liquid  flow  and 
melody  of  those  grand  anthems,  that,  on  the  waves  of 
music  and  song,  swelled  through  the  courts  and  porches 
of  Solomon's  "magnifical  temple;"  or  feel  the  full  force 
of  those  sublime  and  eloquent  rhapsodies  which  Isaiah, 
with  fervid  heart  and  burning  lip,  once  uttered  to  his 
rebellious  and  disobedient  countrymen. 

We  judge  of  the  variety,  extent  and  wealth  of  a  nation's 
thought  from  the  copiousness  of  language  preserved  in 
its  literature.  Language  is  a  symbol  of  ideas,  and  is 
gradually  formed  and  extended  by  the  operation  of  the 
national  mind.  It  is  the  embodiment  of  national  thought, 
and  enables  us  to  feel,  in  some  degree,  the  pulse  throbs 
of  the  national  heart.  In  the  refined  and  cultivated 
language  of  a  people  we  find  their  most  elevated  and 
matured  thoughts,  but  their  elegant  literature  does  not 
contain  much  of  the  simple  dialects  which  vividly  express- 
ed the  earnest  feelings  and  sentiments  of  the  common 
people  in  private  life,  and  which  often  glowed  with  ex- 
quisite gems  of  poetry. 

Who  can  ever  forget  or  undervalue  the  treasures  which 
Burns  has  contributed  to  our  literature  by  his  matchless 
songs  and   poems   written  in  the  Doric  dialect  of  humble 


40 

life,  full  of  vivid  pictures,  and  expressing,  in  such  simple 
and  tender  pathos,  the  feelings  and  sentiments  of  his 
peasant  countrymen.  In  his  simple  home  songs  beautiful 
thoughts  and  fancies  sparkle  and  gleam  around  his  rhyth- 
mic words  like  sunshine  and  dew  drops  upon  the  fresh 
flowers  of  the  morning. 

The  books  of  the  Old  Testament  contain  the  remains 
of  Hebrew  literature  produced  during  the  period  when 
the  language  was  spoken.  These  books  were  written 
under  divine  inspiration  and  were  intended  principally  for 
the  specific  purpose  of  developing  the  riligious  life  of  the 
Chosen  People.  They  furnish  many  domestic  and  social 
scenes  of  exquisite  beauty,  but  they,  by  no  means,  contain 
the  entire  literature  of  the  home  life  of  the  Hebrews. 
Nearly  all  of  this  literature  has  been  lost,  and  with  it 
much  of  the  variety  and  richness  of  the  language,  thought 
and  emotions  of  the  nation. 

From  the  various  translations  of  the  Old  Testament 
the  learned  philologist  is  enabled  to  make  a  comparative 
estimate  of  the  richness  and  variety  of  the  vocabulary  of 
the  original  tongue.  This  experiment  has  been  made  by 
accomplished  scholars,  and  they  have  found  that  in  words 
expressing  passionate  energy,  affection  and  the  fervent 
emotions  of  the  soul,  and  in  giving  distinctive  descriptions 
of  the  various  objects  of  nature  the  Hebrew  has  a  more 
copious  and  appropriate  vocabulary  than  the  Greek,  the 
Latin  or  the  English.  Such  classes  of  words  in  every 
language  are  principally  used  by  poets,  and  from  these 
comparative  estimates  we  may  readily  conclude  that  the 
Hebrews  were  endowed  with  higher  poetic  capacities  and 
sensibilities  than  those  refined  and  richly  gifted  nations 
whose  immortal  works  of  genius  constitute  the  great 
mass  of  classical  literature. 

Every  literary  production  is  deprived  of  much  of  its 
original  power  and  beauty  by  translation,  although  it  may 
be  translated  into  a  language  of  more  extensive  verbal 


41 

resources  and  higher  culture.  A  little  flower  taken  from 
an  Alpine  cliff  and  transplanted  into  a  warm  and  fertile 
garden  in  the  valley  loses  the  delicate  tints  of  coloring 
which  adorned  it  while  blooming  amid  eternal  frosts  on 
the  verge  of  the  avalanche. 

Every  literary  production  was  the  outgrowth  of  popular 
taste  and  feeling,  and  exhibited  its  purest  beauty  and 
exerted  its  greatest  influence  among  the  people  for  whom 
it  was  originally  intended. 

Translations  of  the  rude  ballads  and  war  songs  of  the 
Scandinavian  Scalds  produce  in  us  none  of  the  enthusiasm 
and  lofty  courage  with  which  they  inspired  the  hearts  of 
the  old  Vikings  and  their  followers  as  they  fought  in 
bloody  forays,  or  struggled  with  the  cold  storms  and 
waves  of  the  northern  seas. 

Pope,  one  of  the  most  gifted  and  accomplished  of  Eng- 
lish poets,  spent  many  years  in  the  laborious  and  careful 
translation  of  the  Iliad.  He  gave  a  classic  to  literature 
which  glitters  with  the  wealth  and  rhythmic  elegance  of 
the  English  language,  but  it  is  wanting  in  that  mystic 
power  of  genius  with  which  the  Blind  Harper  electrified 
the  proud  cities  of  Hellas  and  Ionia,  and  threw  the  halo 
of  immortal  fame  around  the  valiant  heroes  who  fought 
before  the  walls  of  Troy. 

An  American  audience  of  the  highest  classic  culture 
would  not  listen  with  any  degree  of  patience  to  the 
repetition  in  our  language,  by  the  most  gifted  and  accom- 
plished histrionic  artist,  of  those  tragedies  which  once  made 
the  statesmen,  warriors*  philosophers,  orators  and  poets  of 
Athens  weep  for  the  misfortunes  of  the  ill-fated  CEdipus 
and  the  heroic  Antigone,  and  listen  with  breathless  awe  to 
the  story  of  the  wronged,  forsaken  and  revengeful  Medea. 

Who  can  now  feel  the  full  force  of  that  eloquence  which 
once  rang  with  sublime  thoughts  and  rich  cadences  over 
the  temple-crowned  Acropolis,  and  which  Phillip  of 
Macedon  dreaded  more  than  all  the  armies  of  Greece  ? 


42 

Who  can  now  comprehend  the  magic  power  of  that 
magnificent  oratory  by  which  the  timid  Tully  controlled 
the  destinies  of  war-loving  Rome  ? 

No  translator  can  do  full  justice  to  the  literature  of  an 
ancient  and  dead  language,  as  he  is  incapable  of  catching 
the  spirit  and  inherent  beauties  of  the  original.  There 
are  idiomatic  peculiarities  about  the  old  Hebrew  which 
present  many  difficulties  to  translators  in  obtaining  the 
true  spirit  and  rhythm  of  the  original.  It  is  very  ancient, 
and  there  is  no  cognate  contemporary  literature  with 
which  it  can  be  be  compared,  and  which  might  aid  in 
elucidating  linguistic  obscurities.  The  writers  of  the  Old 
Testament  were  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
and  translators  cannot  feel  the  divine  afflatus  whichinspired 
the  hearts  and  genius  of  the  old  Hebrew  prophets  and  bards. 

The  Hebrew  letters  in  present  use  date  no  further  back 
than  to  the  time  of  the  captivity,  and  the  vowel  points 
and  accents  used  in  the  connection  of  syllables,  words 
and  sentences,  serve  but  to  show. how  the  Jewish  scholars 
of  subsequent  times  expressed  the  Hebrew  when  these 
changes  were  introduced,  and  how  they  themselves  under- 
stood the  text.  The  ancient  Hebrew,  in  which  the  Old 
Testament  was  originally  written,  was  a  pure  consonantal 
text,  and  the  consonants  were  so  arranged  as  to  indicate 
the  appropriate  vowel  sounds  to  a  reader  familiar  with  the 
living  language.  The  vowels  were  unseen,  and  circulated 
as  the  blood  of  the  language.  But  after  the  old  Hebrew 
lost  the  force  and  freedom  of  a  living  tongue  these  phonetic 
and  fluent  elements  of  speech  could  not  be  fully  understood 
and  properly  applied  so  as  to  bring  out  its  entire  richness 
and  melody.  The  sublimity  of  thought,  the  historical 
value  and  the  credibility  of  the  Old  Testament  still 
remained: — it  lost  only  its  original  literary  form  to  some 
extent.  The  notation  of  vowels  and  accents,  made  after 
the  language  ceased  to  be  spoken,  supplied,  in  some 
degree,  its  flexibility  and    elasticity,    and  made  it  utter 


43 

many  of  its  ancient  voices  of  emotion  and  melody  which 
thrill  the  souls  of  mankind. 

The  Old  Testament  has  been  remarkably  well  trans- 
lated into  the  English  language.  More  than  half  of  the 
words  of  our  English  version  are  Anglo-Saxon,  a  language 
eminent  for  its  simplicity,  terseness  and  power  of  expres- 
sion— some  of  the  characteristics  of  the  old  Hebrew. 
The  English  Bible  is  the  grandest  and  most  beautiful  book 
in  our  literature.  It  owes  some  of  its  literary  excellence 
and  form  to  the  rich,  forcible  and  rhythmic  flow  of  the 
English  tongue,  but  the  grand  thoughts  and  graphic 
pictures  that  illumine  its  pages  are  the  products  of  the 
Hebrew  mind,  which  have  lost  much  of  their  force  and 
exquisite  literary  excellence  and  beauty  in  passing  into 
translation.  The  sunlight  in  passing  through  the  camera 
depicts  with  accuracy  and  beauty  the  human  face  and 
the  grand  objects  of  nature,  but  the  sketching  sunbeams 
do  not  fasten  the  glow  that  beams  around  the  objects 
which  are  copied.  Thus  our  English  Bible  furnishes  but 
a  photographic  picture  of  Hebrew  life,  and  does  not  give 
the  full  literary  force  and  beauty  of  the  thoughts  and 
eloquent  utterances  of  the  old  Hebrew  bards  which 
awakened  such  thrilling  emotions  in  the  hearts  of  old 
Israel. 

All  philologist  agree  that  the  etymology  and  structure 
of  a  language,  its  peculiar  idioms  and  dialects,  and  the 
changes  which  it  undergoes  in  the  process  of  development, 
furnish  important  information  as  to  the  characteristics  of 
a  people.  Language  is  the  voice  of  the  thought  and 
emotional  life  of  a  nation,  and  is  necessarily  a  valuable 
portion  of  its  history.  The  old  Hebrew,  although  imper- 
fectly understood,  furnishes  internal  evidence  that  it  was 
formed  and  spoken  by  a  noble  people  of  high  mental  and 
moral  culture  who  lived  in  primeval  times,  in  pastoral 
simplicity  and  in  a  beautiful  land  and  clime.  It  is  em- 
phatically a    religious  and  emotional  language,  formed, 


44 

from  infancy  to  mature  development,  as  it  were,  in  the 
presence  of  Jehovah  and  by  His  immediate  tuition,  and 
influenced  by  grand  events  and  wondrous  providences. 

The  Aramaic,  spoken  by  the  Jews  after  their  return 
from  the  exile  in  Babylon,  plainly  shows  the  intellectual 
and  moral  degeneracy  produced  by  captivity,  calamity 
and  servitude.  They  had  forgotten  the  noble  language 
of  their  fathers  and  spoke  in  the  rugged  tongue  of  their 
heathen  conquerors,  and  yet  this  language  of  slavery  was 
glorified  by  the  utterance  of  divine  truths.  It  was  the 
original  language  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  and  the 
beautiful  and  inimitable  parables  of  our  Saviour. 

The  Greek,  so  soft,  so  sweet,  so  expressive,  so  rich  in 
classic  elegance  and  so  harmonious  in  cadences,  enables 
us  to  form  an  incomplete  but  still  vivid  conception  of  the 
acute,  subtle,  enlightened  and  imaginative  race  who  lived 
in  the  refined  age  when  Pericles  ruled,  when  Callistratus 
reared   and  Phidias  adorned  the  Parthenon. 

The  sonorous  and  stately  rhythm  of  the  Latin  shows 
that  it  was  the  language  of  a  brave,  aggressive  and  im- 
perial people,  and  it  sounds  like  the  martial  music  that 
regulated  the  measured  tread  of  those  invincible  legions 
who  carried  their  victorious  eagles  into  every  land. 

The  Italian  is  the  voice  of  that  civilization  which  reared 
the  splendid  basilicas  and  gorgeous  palaces  of  Catholic 
Rome,  woke  into  melody  the  strings  of  Dante's  and 
Petrarch's  lyre,  and  guided  the  pencil  and  chisel  of 
Raphael  and  Angelo  as  they  formed  those  ideal  creations 
which  have  been  the  matchless  models  of  art. 

In  the  Spanish  we  can  distinctly  trace  the  commingled 
elements  of  Roman  civilization  and  Gothic  vigor,  tinged 
with  the  Oriental  culture  of  the  Caliphs.  The  peculiar 
features  of  the  language,  and  the  stern,  bigoted  and  re- 
lentless character  of  the  Spaniard, were  both  formed  in  that 
long,  fierce  and  bloody  conflict  of  eight  hundred  years  be- 
tween the  Moore  and  the  Goth— theCrescent  and  the  Cross* 


45 

The  French  is  as  soft,  as  gay  and  as  versatile  as  the 
brilliant  women  and  accomplished  courtiers  who  once 
bowed  the  knee  to  royalty  in  the  gilded  saloons  of  Ver- 
sailles; and  it  is  filled  with  the  accents  of  the  rich  and 
melodious  speech  of  sunny  Provence  in  which  the  Trouba- 
dours sang  the  songs  of  love,   chivalry  and  old  romance. 

The  German  is  the  remarkable  language  of  a  remarka- 
ble people.  It  has  a  rich  and  extensive  vocabulary  derived 
almost  entirely  from  an  original  stock,  and  has  less  com- 
mixture of  foreign  elements  than  any  other  language  of 
Europe.  It  has  a  wonderful  capability  of  developing  itself 
from  its  own  substance.  It  seems  to  grow  and  expand 
like  a  giant  oak  that  has  been  strengthened  by  the  sun- 
shine and  storms  of  centuries,  deriving  its  sap  from  its 
ancient  roots,  and  ever  extending  its  branches  covered 
with  fresh,  rich  and  living  verdure  and  beauty.  The 
Germans  have  preserved  more  than  any  other  nation  of 
Modern  Europe  the  distinguishing  characteristics  of  their 
remote  ancestors.  Although  their  country  has  so  long 
been  the  battlefield  of  contending  nations,  they  are  still 
the  truest  representatives  of  the  Teuton  race.  Their 
national  progress  seems  to  have  been  the  result  of  inherent 
resources  called  into  active  and  energizing  life  by  the 
Reformation,  and  their  language  was  solidified  and  en- 
riched by  Luther's  version  of  the  Bible.  They  have 
wrought  out  for  themselves  a  grand  and  distinctive  liter- 
ature and  now  occupy  one  of  the  highest  intellectual 
thrones  among  mankind. 

In  the  English  we  find  the  language  of  a  free,  progres- 
sive, world-impressing  and  world-embracing  people.  It 
has  drawn  treasures  from  nearly  every  literature  and 
continues  to  expand  in  richness  ^and  fullness  as  the  en- 
lightened mind  achieves  new  conquests  in  the  various 
realms  of  human  thought.  In  the  vocabulary  of  this 
language  we  can  distinctly  trace  its  origin  back  to  that 
remarkable  people,  who,  from  the  disintegrating  elements 


46 

of  ancient  civilization,  created  the  nations  and  the  civil 
institutions  of  Modern  Europe;  and  we  can  also  readily 
distinguish  the  proportions  and  relations  of  the  various 
races  that  were  combined  in  the  formation  of  the  English 
people.  The  principle  elements  of  the  English  language 
are  derived  from  the  Anglo  Saxon  and  the  Latin,  the 
noble  languages  in  which  are  enshrined  the  principles  of 
freedom,  justice  and  enlightened  jurisprudence,  and  the 
highest  intellectual  achievements  of  mankind. 

If  we  had  not  reached  the  reasonable  limits  of  this 
lecture  we  would  be  pleased  to  consider  more  fully  than 
we  have  heretofore  done  the  wonderful  and  controlling 
influences  which  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  through  various 
versions  have  exerted  upon  the  languages,  literatures  and 
civilizations  of  all  subsequent  ages.  We  feel  that  it 
would  be  improper  for  us,  in  a  brief  and  cursory  manner 
to    speak    upon    such  a    rich,    important    and     extensive 

theme. 

God  divided  mankind  into  various  races  by  the  con- 
fusion of  tongues  at  Babel,  but  His  revealed  word  for 
centuries  has  been  exerting  a  reverse  influence  in  bringing 
different  nations  into  closer  connection  and  fellowship  by 
establishing  a  common  literature  which  is  ever  tending  to 
a  unification  of  all  of  the  children  of  men.  The  invention 
of  printing  has,  under  divine  providence,  enabled  the 
Christian  Church  to  multiply  copies  of  the  Bible  by  mil- 
lions and  in  nearly  all  the  languages  of  mankind.  It  now 
has  the  Pentecostal  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  all  the 
nations  hear  it  speak  to  them  in  their  own  tongues  the 
wonderful  works  of  God. 

Withou  entering  into  an  extended  argument  to  sustain 
our  conclusion,  we  venture  to  express  the  belief  that 
the  English  speaking  peoples,  with  their  enlightened  laws 
and  institutions  of  freedom;  with  their  incomparable 
literature  and  with  their  rich,  extensive,  diversified  and 
rapidly   expanding  language,  all  moulded  and  invigorated 


47 

by  the  Bible,  are  destined  in  the  providence  of  God  to 
be  the  leading  actors  in  evangelizing  and  civilizing  the 
world,  and  binding  the  various  races  of  men  in  the  bonds 
of  Christian  brotherhood. 


LECTURE   IV. 


The  Style  of  Hebrew  Poetry. 


In  judging  of  the  beauties  and  excellencies  of  the  style 
of  Hebrew  poetry  we  can  gain  but  little  assistance  from 
the  principles  and  rules  of  poetic  art  and  criticism  which 
have  been  established  in  other  nations.  It  is  so  essen- 
tially different  from  all  other  poetry  in  its  structure  that 
we  can  hardly  institute  any  comparison. 

The  Greeks  sought  to  regulate  all  of  their  fine  arts  by 
beauty  and  harmony  of  proportions  and  relations,  and 
were  as  carefully  artistic  in  their  metrical  arrangement  of 
poetry  as  in  the  production  of  their  elegant  statuary  and 
architecture.  In  their  poetry  we  find  the  exquisite  pro- 
ductions of  linguistic  and  metrical  art  which  have  exerted 
a  refining  influence  upon  the    poetry  of  subsequent   ages. 

The  use  of  rhyme  in  modern  poetry  has  contributed  to 
its  harmony  of  diction,  but  fettered  the  bold,  strong  and 
sublime  energies  of  creative  genius.  The  origin  of  rhyme 
is  involved  in  obscurity,  but  it  certainly  did  not  exist  to 
much  extent  in  the  poetry  of  the  Hebrews  and  of  the 
classic  productions  of  antiquity.  Rhyme  is  a  creation  of 
modern  art,  while  rhythm  springs  from  the  love  which 
exists  in  the  human  soul  for  order,  harmony  and  beauty, 
and  spontaneously  gushes  out  in  music  and  song.  Rhythm 
of  language  has  existed  in  all  ages,  and  among  most  of 
the  civilized  nations  has  been  regulated  by  certain  well 
defined  technical  rules  which  constitute  the  art  of  poetry. 

Hebrew  poetry  in  the  original  language  must  have 
been  full  of  rhythm,  as  this  characteristic  is  not  lost  by 
translation  into  the  rudest  and  most  inharmonious  speech. 
This  rhythm  existed  both  in  words   and    thoughts,  and  is 


49 

so  inherent  and  vital  that  the  more  literal  any  translation 
of  Hebrew  poetry  the  greater  are  the  beauties  and  melo- 
dies which  it  transfuses  into  the  foreign  tongue.  This 
peculiarity  does  not  exist  to  the  same  extent  in  any  other 
literature.  Literal  translations  of  ancient  classic  poetry 
into  our  language  are  always  prosaic,  and  the  affluent 
versatility  of  genius  is  required  to  give  them  the  rhythm 
and  spirit  of  poetry. 

The  rhythm  and  poetry  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures 
are  not  confined  to  the  strictly  poetical  books,  but 
sentences  and  verses  of  the  finest  poetry  are  found  inter- 
spersed in  rich  profusion  in  all  their  legal  and  historical 
books.  These  poetic  sentences  and  verses  gleam  like 
jewels  encased  in  gold,  and  the  prevalence  of  such  an  ele- 
ment in  their  didactic  writings  furnishes  high  evidence  of 
the  imaginative  temperament  and  genius  of  the  Hebrew 
people. 

Although  Hebrew  poetry  is  so  full  of  rhythm  and 
melody  there  is  much  doubt  as  to  whether  it  was  originally 
regulated  by  any  fixed  and  invariable  rules  of  metrical 
structure.  This  subject  has  called  forth  much  ingenius 
discussion  and  elaborate  investigation,  and  still  no  definite 
conclusions  have  been  made  which  are  entirely  satisfactory 
to  Biblical  critics  and  scholars.  The  pronunciation  of  the 
language  and  its  laws  of  syllabic  quantity  and  accentuation 
have  long  been  lost,  and  the  rules  of  its  metrical  arrange- 
ment can  never  be  correctly  ascertained,  as  mankind  can 
never  again  hear  its  living  tones. 

Some  writers  have  contended  that  the  existence  of  such 
rules  of  metrical  arrangement  can  reasonably  be  inferred 
from  well  established  facts  in  Hebrew  history.  Music 
and  poetry  are  twin  sisters  of  art  and  exert  an  influence 
upon  each  other.  The  sacred  writings  frequently  men- 
tion various  kinds  of  musical  instruments,  and  music  and 
poetry  were  the  subjects  of  study  in  the  Schools  of  the 
Prophets.     The    Hebrews  celebrated  their   domestic  and 


So 

social  festivals,  their  victories  and  parts  of  their  religious 
services  with  songs,  instrumental  music  and  the  sacred 
dance.  From  these  well  attested  historical  facts  the 
argument  has  been  made  that  a  people  so  familiar  with 
the  melodies  of  sound  and  the  graceful  harmony  of  motion 
could  not  have  failed  to  perceive  and  appreciate  the 
pleasing  rhythm  and  melody  produced  in  language  by 
the  proper  adjustment  of  words  and  sentences,  and  that 
this  natural  perception  would  necessarily  have  soon  sug- 
gested and  formed  artificial  rules  of  metrical  structure. 

As  we  have  no  knowledge  of  the  etymology  and 
grammatical  structure  of  the  Hebrew  language  we  are  not 
qualified  to  express  an  opinion  upon  any  internal  evidence 
which  it  furnishes  as  to  the  artificial  metrical  arrangement 
of  the  Hebrew  poetry.  As  translated  in  our  English 
Bible  we  find  that  the  Psalms  need  none  of  the  rules  of 
classic  and  modern  versification  to  bring  out  their  melody, 
beauty  of  imagery  and  sublimity  of  thought,  and  when 
chanted  in  the  Church  service  they  blend  in  sweet  unison 
with  the  splendid  harmonies  of  the  organ.  We  know  of  no 
reason  why  Hebrew  poetry  should  not  have  possessed  the 
same  natural  capabilities  in  the  original  language  when 
chanted  in  accompaniment  to  the  instruments  of  music 
in  the  Temple  service. 

When  the  Psalms  were  introduced  into  the  liturgical 
services  of  the  Temple  they  must  have  been  so  arranged 
and  adapted  to  accompanying  instruments  of  music  as  to  be 
sung  in  unison  by  the  Levitical  choirs  and  the  congrega- 
tion, but  we  are  inclined  to  think  that  no  fixed  rules  of 
art  controlled  the  authors  in  their  original  composition. 

The  Hebrew  Bards  were  men  of  intense  thoughts, 
emotions  and  purposes,  and  their  minds  and  hearts  were 
occupied  in  contemplating  the  grandest  subjects.  Their 
poems  were  not  simply  the  products  of  the  imagination, 
but  were  full  of  the  solemn  realities  of  eventful  history 
and  their  own  personal   experiences  and   emotions;  their 


5* 

joys,  their  sorrows,  their  faith,  their  love  for  God  and  their 
devout  ascriptions  of  thanksgiving  and  praise. 

They  were  poets  born,  not  made,  and  the  breathings 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  inspired  their  minds  and  animated  their 
hearts,  and  they  uttered  great  truths,  not  only  for  their 
own  times,  but  for  all  the  coming  ages;  and  their  earnest 
thoughts  and  intense  emotions  were  expressed  in  appro- 
priate words,  which  were  naturally  arranged  into  rhythmic 
cadences.  They  were  under  the  guidance  of  that  Omnis- 
cience and  Omnipotence  which  has  filled  the  natural 
world  in  infinite  variety  with  a  melody,  beauty  and 
sublimity  far  surpassing  the  productions  of  the  most  exalted 
human  genius.  What  were  the  hanging  gardens  of 
Babylon  and  the  sumptuous  palaces  of  Assyria,  the 
massive  pyramids  and  grand  temples  of  Egypt  when 
compared  with  the  excellency  of  Carmel,  the  glory  of 
Lebanon  and  the  grandeur  of  Hermon  crowned  with  eternal 
snow  and  yet  robed  in  garments  of  verdure  bright  with 
flowers  and  sparkling  with  dews  ?  What  are  all  the  parks 
and  gardens  which  human  art  has  so  elaborately  arranged 
and  beautified  to  gratify  the  pride  and  cultivated  taste  of 
the  proud  and  great  when  compared  with  the  majestic 
primeval  forest  intersected  with  noble  rivers  gleaming  in 
sunshine  or  sparkling  with  the  light  of  stars,  and  the  wild 
gardens  which  God  has  planted  on  the  fertile  hillsides  and 
in  luxuriant  valleys  filled  with  exhuberant  fruitfulness  and 
picturesque  loveliness. 

Nature  needs  none  of  the  aids  of  human  skill  to  regu- 
late her  voices  of  melody.  The  birds  know  no  rules  of  art 
as  they  sing  their  joyous  lyrics.  The  winds  and  storms — 
those  wild,  mighty  and  mysterious  singers — observe  no 
certain  metre  when  they  hold  their  concerts  among  the 
woodlands  and  the  hills.  No  mortal  corypheus  leads  the 
choir  of  the  jubilant  rills,  bounding  cataracts  and  solemn 
flowing  rivers  as  they  rehearse  their  eternal  hymns,  and 
God  alone  touches  the  organ  keys  of  the  ocean  and  makes 


52 

the  billows  swell  in  glorious  symphonies  over  the  vasty 
deep  and  sound  in  sobbing  tones  or  sublime  anthems  on 
every  shore.  The  finite  mind  of  man  may  not  be  able  to 
comprehend  and  his  heart  to  feel  the  divine  harmonies  of  the 
vast  orchestra  of  nature,  but  in  the  ear  of  the  Infinite 
Leader  of  the  choir  of  the  universe  they  are  ever  rehearsing 
•    aright  a  grand  oratorio. 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  alphabetic  and  alliterative 
poems  found  in  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  the  traces 
of  artificial  metrical  arrangement  in  Hebrew  poetry  are 
too  variant  and  indistinct  to  form  any  definite  and  coher- 
ent system  of  poetic  art. 

The  Hebrew  bards  fully  understood  the  energy  and 
power  of  their  language  and  also  its  capability  of  cadence 
and  harmony,  and  the  sublime  truths  and  thoughts  given 
and  controlled  by  divine  inspiration  were  expressed  in 
vivid  and  appropriate  words  and  imagery,  attended  with 
a  thrilling  rhythm  of  utterance  which  was  natural  and 
not  artificial.  They  were  profoundly  conscious  of  the 
diverse  emotions  of  the  human  soul  and  of  the  grandeur 
and  varied  beauties  of  nature,  but  they  never  indulged  in 
glowing  sentimentalism  and  extended  picturesque  descrip- 
tion, which  have  employed  so  much  of  the  elegant  diction 
of  classic  and  modern  poetic  art.  Their  symbols  and 
metaphors  were  not  used  as  graceful  figures  of  rhetoric, 
but  as  illustrations  of  divine  attributes  and  to  enforce  the 
great  truths  that  absorbed  all  their  thoughts.  Their 
enthusiasm  was  too  intense  and  their  conceptions  too 
vivid  to  be  trammelled  by  any  rigid  rules  of  art.  They 
were  nature's  poets  and  God's  messengers  to  mankind,  and 
their  messages  were  for  all  the  ages  and  were  expressed 
in  language  to  touch  the  chords  of  every  human  heart. 

We  will  now  consider  briefly  the  most  plausible  system 
of  rules  which  have  been  presented  as  to  the  artificial 
structure  of  Hebrew  poetry.  Since  the  delivery  of  the 
justly  celebrated   lectures  of  Bishop  Lowth,   the   various 


53 

styles  of  Hebrew  poetry  have  generally  been  included 
under  the  generic  name  of  parallelism.  It  is  insisted 
that  such  a  poetic  structure  is  not  found  to  much  extent 
in  any  other  literature.  He  defines  the  term  to  mean  a 
certain  correspondence  in  words,  sentences  and  thoughts 
in  parallel  lines.  Subsequent  critics  and  scholars  have 
suggested  additions  and  modifications  to  Bishop  Lowth's 
system,  and  presented  many  illustrative  examples,  but 
all  concede  that  there  is  an  obvious  rhythmical  symmetry 
of  words,  thoughts  and  members.  This  symmetry  in 
Hebrew  poetry  has  been  very  appropriately  styled 
"thought  rhythm,"  as  all  the  ideas  conveyed  are  in  har- 
monious accord,  and  in  unison  with  the  finest  and  purest 
affections,  sentiments  and  feelings  of  man's  moral  and 
religious  nature.  It  does  not  need  the  elaborate  elegance 
and  delicate  finish  of  art  to  display  its  excellence,  but 
with  simple  and  inherent  power  it  wakens  a  melody  in 
the  soul  which  words  cannot  fully  express,  but  which  is 
breathed  in  longing  aspirations  for  a  higher,  holier  and 
immortal  life.  The  parallelistic  arrangement  certainly 
exists  in  the  structure  of  Hebrew  poetry.  It  may  not  be 
as  pleasing  to  an  artistic  and  cultivated  taste  as  the 
euphony  of  rhyme  or  the  modulated  metre  and  musical 
flow  of  blank  verse  and  the  Classic  hexameter,  but  its 
comparatively  inartificial  structure  allowed  greater  free- 
dom in  the  use  of  words  and  sentences,  and  was  thus 
better  suited  to  express  the  grand  and  lofty  conceptions 
and  emotions  of  an  earnest,  impassioned,  imaginative  and 
primitive  people. 

We  have  a  very  limited  knowledge  upon  this  subject, 
but  it  seems  to  us  that  too  great  a  variety  of  species  of 
parallelism  have  been  presented  to  admit  of  any  definite 
laws  regulating  their  artificial  structure. 

Bishop  Lowth  divides  the  parallelism  into  three  dis- 
tinctive species,  to  which  we  will  briefly  refer,  without 
giving  his  full  definitions  and  illustrations. 


54 

The  synonymous  parallelism  is  more  frequently  used 
than  any  other,  and  consists  in  the  repetition  of  the  same 
sentiment  in  parallel  lines  in  different  but  equivalent 
terms.  In  illustrating  this  species  of  parallelism,  an 
English  poet  and  critic  finely  remarked,  ''In  repeating  the 
same  idea  in  different  words  the  Hebrew  muse  seems  as  if 
displaying  a  fine  opal  that  discovers  fresh  beauty  in  every 
new  light  in  which  it  is  turned.  Numerous  and  beautiful 
passages  in  the  Old  Testament  might  be  cited  as  exam- 
ples of  this  kind  of  parallelism. 

The  antithetic  parallelism  was  also  used  by  the  Hebrew 
bards  in  their  didactic  and  sententious  poetry  when  any- 
thing was  illustrated  by  its  contrary  being  placed  in 
opposition,  thus, 

The  heaven  is  my  throne  and 
The  earth  is  my  footstool, 

showing  the  importance  and  grandeur  of  one  over  the 
other.  And  again,  as  setting  forth  the  greatness,  majesty 
and  glory  of  God,  as  compared  with  man. 

It  is  He  that  sitteth  upon  the  circle  of  the  earth, 
And  the  inhabitants  thereof  are  as  grasshoppers. 

I  am  not  able  to  form  a  clear  and  satisfactory  concep- 
tion of  the  synthetic  parallelism  from  the  definition  of 
Bishop  Lowth.  He  says,  in  substance,  that  it  consists 
only  in  the  similar  form  of  construction  of  sentences  in 
which  there  is  some  correspondence  and  equality  between 
different  propositions.  He  also  says:  'The  degrees  of 
the  correspondence  of  the  lines  of  this  sort  of  parallels 
must,  from  the  nature  of  it,  be  various.  Sometimes  the 
parallelism  is  more,  sometimes  less  exact,  sometimes 
hardly  apparent." 

While  there  is  some  general  resemblance  between 
many  of  the  illustrative  examples  given  by  writers  on 
this  subject,  yet  in  nearly  every  instance  there  is  some 
marked    diversity.     Most  of    such    examples    are   highly 


55 

poetic  in  sentiment  and  diction,  and  may  be  classed  to- 
gether on  account  of  their  general  similitude,  but  they 
manifest  no  artistic  intention  of  making  them  similar  in 
literary  structure.  They  may  be  compared  to  the  moun- 
tains which  God  has  constructed.  Between  the  separate 
elevations  of  a  mountain  range  there  is  a  correspondence 
in  form  and  nature,  as  they  are  all  mountains  rising  from 
the  valleys  toward  the  heavens,  and  yet  they  all  have 
many  distinctive  features,  and  together  they  form  a  grand 
and  imposing  prospect  as  they  gleam  with  the  beauty  of 
the  sunlight,  or  are  dimly  discovered  through  their  misty 
veils,  or  are  seen  robed  with  the  tranquil  azure  of  the 
distance.  Thus  the  elevated  thoughts  and  feelings  of 
the  inspired  bards  were  constructed  into  resembling  forms 
of  poetic  language,  rhythmical  in  cadences  and  glowing 
with  truth  and  beauty,  without  any  artistic  intention  in 
the  choice  of  words  and  the  structure  of  sentences.  We 
often  find  the  various  species  of  parallelism  so  closely 
and  intimately  intermingled  that  they  cannot  be  sep- 
arated without  disturbing  the  harmony  and  beauty  of  the 
composition. 

In  Isaiah's  description  of  the  coming  golden  age  of 
the  Messiah,  we  find,  not  only  the  three  species  of  parallel- 
ism designated  by  Bishop  Lovvth,  but  many  other  forms 
of  Hebrew  poetry.  They  were  combined  and  blended 
into  a  magnificent  synthetic  poem,  not  by  any  rules  of 
poetic  art,  but  by  the  untrammelled  power  of  divine 
inspiration  and  the  highest  genius.  It  is  a  splendid  out- 
burst of  poetic  rapture,  produced  by  the  glorious  scenes 
of  the  coming  future  that  gleamed  with  celestial  radiance 
upon  the  spiritual  vision  of  the  prophet  bard.  The  lan- 
guage in  which  he  pictured  his  vivid  imagery,  and  express- 
ed  his  sublime  thoughts,  gushed  from  his  mind  and  heart  in 
spontaneous  freedom,  purity,  beauty  and  liquid  melody,  just 
like  the  crystal,  musical  and  leaping  rills  flow  from  the 
sides  of  Hermon  to  form  the  rolling  and  swelling  Jordan. 


56 


V 


I  will  not  refer  to  the  other  species  of  parallelism 
pointed  out  by  learned  Biblical  critics  and  scholars.  The 
diversity  of  species  and  examples  which  they  present 
tend  to  show  that  the  Hebrew  bards  were  not  controlled 
by  fixed  rules  of  art  in  the  structure  of  the  parallelism. 
The  Hebrew  parallelism,  consisting  of  brief,  sententious 
and  simple  propositions  in  parallel  lines,  was  a  natural 
and  not  an  artificial  arrangement  of  language,  and  was 
not  metrical  in  its  structure.  Exactness,  uniformity,  regu- 
larity, skill,  and  strict  carefulness  are  some  of  the  prop- 
erties and  rules  of  art  in  the  construction  of  poetic  com- 
position. The  productions  of  the  Hebrew  bards  seem  to 
be  the  spontaneous  outgushing  of  fervid  thoughts  and 
feelings  glowing  with  imagery  and  rhythmical  with  natu- 
ral melodies. 

Nature  seems  to  use  the  principle  of  the  parallelism  of 
resemblance,  comparison  or  contrast  in  displaying  many 
of  her  highest  beauties  and  sublimest  objects,  but  uses  it 
in  infinite  variety,  as  did  the  Hebrew  bards.  The  ocean 
rolling  billow  after  billow  on  the  shore  and  yet  each 
billow  having  a  slightly  variant  sound,  produced  by  the 
diverse  influences  of  the  changeful  winds  and  the  ebbing 
and  flowing  tides,  is  a  striking  example  of  nature's  synony- 
mous parallelism.  We  often  see  an  antithetic  parallelism  in 
nature  when  a  dark  and  stormy  night  is  followed  by  a  clear 
morning,  and  the  tranquil  skies  are  beautifully  blue,  and 
soft  melodies  are  floating  on  the  balmy  air,  and  the 
sportive  sunbeams  are  sparkling  and  glowing  on  the  rich 
and  dewy  verdure  of  the  landscape. 

The  still  vast  night  when  the  stars  in  serene  and  silvery 
brightness  are  moving  through  the  dark  fields  of  immen- 
sity in  ceaseless  and  glorious  march  around  a  grand  central 
and  controlling  orb  in  the  far  distant  regions  of  the  uni- 
verse, is  a  synthetic  poem  of  wondrous  beauty  and  im- 
pressive grandeur. 

The  beauty  and  expressiveness   of  symbols,  metaphors, 


57 

parables  and  allegories  are  in  a  great  degree  dependent 
upon  the  parallelism  which  they  present.  How  often  do 
we  see  in  poetry  and  prose  a  parallelism  between  the  sea- 
sons of  the  year  and  the  different  periods  of  human  life. 
The  Spring  is  youth  with  its  brightness,  freshness  and 
hope;  the  Summer  is  manhood  with  its  ardor,  passionate 
energy  and  development  of  power;  Autumn  is  the  time 
of  fruition,  repose  and  gentle  decline,  and  hoary  Winter 
is  the  season  of  old  age,  decrepitude  and  death.  The 
whole  realm  of  nature  and  the  departments  of  art  are  full 
of  rich,  varied  and  beautiful  parallelisms  which  are  sources 
of  poetic  inspiration  and  intellectual  pleasures. 

We  will  not  dwell  longer  upon  the  subject  of  parallelisms 
which  are  generally  conceded  to  be  characteristic  pecul- 
airities  of  Hebrew  poetry.  We  will  not  further  consider 
the  vexed  question,  whether  Hebrew  poetry  in  connection 
with  the  parallelism  had  any  artificial  rules  of  metrical 
arrangement.  A  knowledge  of  the  rules  of  Hebrew  metre, 
if  any  ever  existed,  might  satisfy  the  eager  curiosity  of 
archaeologists  but  would  not  contribute  much  to  the  en- 
lightenment of  mankind.  The  spirit  of  Hebrew  poetry 
is  immortal  and  its  beauty  of  imagery  and  sublimity,  its 
tearful  pathos  and  its  holy  and  blessed  truths  are  trans- 
fused into  every  language  in  which  the  Bible  has  been 
translated. 

The  style  of  the  Hebrew  bards  is  highly  symbolic  and 
metaphorical.  Many  of  the  symbols  and  metaphors  were 
derived  from  familiar  natural  objects  and  the  scenes  and 
occurances  of  social  and  domestic  life,  which  gave  sim- 
plicity to  their  poetry  and  made  it  more  pleasing  and  in- 
telligible to  the  popular  mind.  How  frequent  and  how 
beautiful  are  the  illustrations  which  they  derived  from  the 
animal  and  vegetable  kingdoms  and  from  the  broad  fields 
of  the  earth  and  the  skies.  The  rose,  the  lily,  the  vine, 
the  figtree,  the  cedar  and  palm,  and  other  trees  and 
flowers,  are  interwoven  in  their  garlands  of  song,  fresh  in 


58 

living"  verdure,  fragrant  with  rich  perfumes  and  sparkling 
with  dews.  In  referring  to  the  rich  fancy  of  the  Hebrew  poets 
in  the  natural  world  we  may  liken  them  to  the  Psalmists' 
discription  of  the  dove,  whose  wings  are  4<  covered  with 
silver  and  her  feathers  with  yellow  gold;"  and  they  often 
mounted  on  wings  as  eagles  and  soared  to  the  home  of 
the  thunder  and  storm  and  to  the  still  higher  regions  of 
immensity  and  unclouded  light;  and  on  the  wings  of  the 
morning  they  went  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea,  and 
everywhere  found  the  majesty,  the  power,  the  goodness 
and  the  glory  of  God. 

The  Hebrew  poets  also  invested  inanimate  objects  with 
the  attributes  of  sentient  life.  To  them  the  harmonious 
voices  of  the  hills,  woods  and  streams;  the  deep  tones  of 
the  thunder,  the  tempest  and  restless  sea  were  intelligible 
utterances  and  were  translated  into  their  poetry.  To 
them  the  roar  of  the  lion,  the  screams  of  the  eagle,  the 
songs  of  the  birds  and  the  chirps  of  insects  were  filled 
with  poetic  meaning.  The  description  of  the  warhorse  in 
Job  is  intensely  poetical.  It  is  more  picturesque  and  glow- 
ing than  a  painting.  The  pen  of  inspired  genius  is  far 
more  graphic  than  the  pencil  of  art. 

The  Hebrew  poets  felt  that  they  lived  in  a  grand  sanc- 
tified earthly  temple,  luminous  with  the  presence  of 
Jehovah,  decorated  with  the  beauties  of  nature  which  He 
had  formed,  and  ever  sounding  with  multitudinous  tones 
of  melody.  Every  object  and  living  creature  that  sur- 
rounded them  were  animated  with  an  intelligent  and 
communing  spirit,  ever  teaching  the  love  and  watchful 
care  of  an  invisible  but  omnipotent  Father.  The  Hebrew 
bards  truly  "  looked  through  nature  up  to  nature's  God" 
and  from  him  and  the  works  of  His  hands  received  their 
sublime  inspiration.  They  loved  to  hear  the  voices  of 
nature  and  see  her  various  beauties;  and  she  taught  them 
to  modulate  their  melodies  of  language,  and  furnished 
their  glorious  imagery.     They  were  also  familiar  with  the 


59 

harmonies  of  the  human  heart  when  swelling  with  en- 
thusiasm, bounding  with  joy,  sobbing  with, sorrow  or 
breathing  out  the  earnest  and  reverential  accents  of 
thanksgiving  and  praise. 

Much  of  the  Hebrew  poetry  was  lyrical,  and,  even  in 
our  language,  has  a  pleasing  rhythmic  flow  which  is  easily 
adapted  to  elegant  music.  The  book  of  Psalms,  called 
in  the  Hebrew  language  "  The  Book  of  Praises,"  is  a 
collection  of  sacred  lyrics.  The  name  given  this  book  in 
the  Septuagint  version  clearly  shows  that  the  Psalms  were 
chanted  in  accompaniment  to  stringed  instruments  of 
music.  The  Word  Psalm  was  derived  from  a  Greek  verb 
signifying  "to  touch  or  strike  a  chord." 

We  have  abundant  evidence  for  believing  that  the 
Hebrews  were  fond  of  music  and  attained  high  excellence 
in  that  beautiful  art.  From  various  examples  recorded  in 
the  Old  Testament,  and  from  the  form  of  most  of  their 
lyrical  productions  we  may  properly  conclude  that  their 
sacred  hymns  were  from  the  earliest  times  chanted  in  re- 
sponsive melodies.  This  was  the  manner  prescribed  by 
David  for  the  Temple  service,  and  the  Priests  and  Levites 
responded  in  alternate  choirs.  Isaiah  describes  the  Sera- 
phim as  chanting  in  the  same  manner  the  praises  of 
Jehovah  in  the  Heavenly  Temple 

"  Holy  !  Holy  !  Holy  !  is  the  Lord  ot  Hosts 
The  whole  earth  is  tull  of  His  glory." 

The  antiphonal  or  responsive  style  of  chanting  sacred 
hymns  was  used  by  the  Greeks  and  other  ancient  nations 
and  was  almost  invariably  adopted  in  the  Christian  Churhes 
of  the  patristic  ages. 

Neither  the  Hebrews,  the  Greeks  or  any  other  nation 
of  antiquity  had  a  full  knowledge  of  the  delicacy,  variety 
and  richness  of  the  harmony  of  sounds  which  have  added 
so  much  to  the  glory  of  music  in  modern  times.  Among 
the  ancients  music  was  simply  an  art,  now  it  may  be  re- 
garded as  an  elegant  and  complicated  science.     This  ad- 


6o 

vancement  of  music  had  its  origin  at  an  early  age  in  the 
religious  services  of  the  Christian  Church.  Christian 
music  exerted  a  refining  and  elevating  influence,  and  to- 
gether with  Christian  art  and  poety  greatly  assisted  in 
producing  the  splendid  aesthetic  culture  of  modern  civili- 
zation. Music  as  a  science  combines  melody  and  harmony. 
The  technical  signification  of  melody  is  an  arrangement 
in  succession  of  different  sounds  of  the  same  voice  or  in- 
strument. Harmony  is  the  result  of  the  union  of  two  or 
more  concording  musical  sounds.  When  properly  attuned 
musical  strings  of  varying  tones  are  struck  in  pleasing 
succession  melody  is  produced.  When  two  or  more  strings 
that  are  in  unison  are  touched  at  the  same  time  their 
sounds  blend  into  harmony.  There  may  be  melody  with- 
out harmony,  but  harmony  is  always  the  union  of  melodies. 
The  varying  notes  of  the  bird,  the  diverse  whisperings 
of  the  breezes  and  the  continuous  murmurings  of  the  rills 
are  full  of  melody,  but  such  sounds  are  not  in  artistic 
harmony. 

The  musical  instruments  of  the  ancient  nations  were 
rude  and  simple  and  not  capable  of  much  delicacy,  variety 
and  compass  of  accordant  sounds.  The  skillful  performer 
could  produce  the  mazy  running  melodies  of  sound  but 
could  not  waken  many  accordant  notes  and  combine  and 
blend  them  in  sweet  harmonies.  We  know,  however  that 
ancient  music  had  an  enlivening,  stirring  and  even  en- 
rapturing effect  upon  the  hearers.  How  often  in  Grecian 
history  and  literature  do  we  read  of  the  magical  influence 
of  the  Doric  flute  and  the  Lesbian  lyre.  The  timbrels  of 
Miriam  and  her  maidens  accompanying  the  chorus  of  the 
triumphal  hymn  of  Moses,  filled  the  hearts  of  rescued 
Israel  with  holy  raptures;  and  the  witchery  of  David's 
harp  exorcised  the  evil  spirit  from  the  bosom  of  Saul. 

The  effects  of  music  depend  in  a  great  degree  upon 
attendant  circumstances  and  the  feelings  and  tastes  of  the 
hearers.     The  sublime  oratorios  of   Handel,   Mozart  and 


6i 

Beethoven  are  universally  admired  by  the  Christian  world, 
as  they  awaken  in  every  mind  and  heart  grand  associations 
of  thought  and  holy  emotions. 

The  elegant  and  complex  opera  may  be  highly  appre- 
ciated by  cultivated  musical  amateurs  whose  ears  are  at- 
tuned to  delicate,  various  and  nicely  blending  harmonies, 
but  we  find  that  the  sweet  melodies  of  the  simple  songs 
that  are  sung  in  solo  always  produce  the  encoring  outburst 
of  popular  appreciation  and  applause.  The  wild  Indian 
would  listen  with  stolid  indifference  to  the  sublimest  and 
most  finished  production  of  musical  genius,  when  a  rude 
war-song  of  the  braves  around  the  council  fire*  would 
arouse  all  the  fierce  and  cruel  passions  of  his  savage  nature 
and  make  him  rush  on  danger  without  a  single  feeling  of 
fear.  The  wonderful  influences  of  the  songs  of  the  Scald, 
the  lays  of  the  minstrels  and  the  home  ballads  of  the 
peasant  are  so  well  attested  in  history  that  I  will  only 
refer  to  them  by  way  of  illustration. 

The  precise  character  of  Hebrew  music  is  unknown,  but 
we  have  abundant  information  as  to  the  influence  which 
it  exerted  on  the  popular  mind  and  heart.  From  the 
nature  of  the  instruments  used  in  the  Temple  service  the 
music  must  have  been  loud  and  shrill,  but  it  was  well 
adapted  to  the  exultant  and  joyous  Psalms  of  thanksgiving 
and  praise  that  were  chanted  by  the  choirs  of  Levites  and 
responded  to  by  the  great  congregation  of  the  people. 
As  the  choirs  of  Levites  were  numerous  and  well  trained, 
and  were  composed  of  male  and  female  singers  we  may 
well  suppose  that  they  had  some  knowledge  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  harmony,  and  that  the  various  voices  did  not 
mingle  discordant  strains.  Their  glorious  anthems  may 
not  have  swelled  through  the  courts  and  porches  of  the 
Temple  in  rich  and  varied  harmonies,  but  we  feel  assured 
that  to  the  devout  Israelites  they  were  as  soul-stirring  and 
heart-subduing  as  the  sublime  choruses  of  the  Te  Deurn 
and  the  weeping  melodies  of  the  Miserere  as  they  swell 


62 

through  the  marble  corridors,  lengthened  aisles  and  lofty- 
arches  of  St.  Peter's,  and  hush  in  profound  silence  all  but 
the  sobbing  voices  from  hearts  of  penitent  worshipers. 
But  all  our  conjectures  are  in  vain.  The  Old  Hebrew 
harps  have  been  silent  for  twenty-five  centuries.  Since 
they  were  hung  upon  the  willows  of  Babylon  to  catch 
the  sighs  of  the  moaning  winds,  no  hand  has  waked  their 
sweet  and  noble  melodies;  but  the  grand  and  glorious 
songs  of  Zion  that  thrilled  the  hearts  of  the  old  Hebrews 
in  the  age  of  their  national  pride  and  glory,  have  in  after 
times  carried  messages  of  admonition,  instruction,  comfort 
and  joyto  the  people  of  God,  and  they  will  in  a  coming 
age  blend  in  the  harmonies  of  the  sublime  anthem  of 
universal  worship  as  it  arises  from  earth  to  heaven. 


LECTURE   V. 


Some  of  the  Events  in  the  History  of  the 
Hebrews  which  Contributed  to  their  Poetic 
Development. 


In  comparing  Hebrew  poetry  with  the  poetry  of  other 
nations  any  one  will  be  impressed  with  the  fact  that  the 
Hebrew  bards  expressed  their  sublime  thoughts  and 
intense  moral  and  spiritual  emotions  with  remarkable 
force,  terseness  and  simplicity,  and  illustrated  them  with 
unusually  vivid  and  appropriate  imagery.  Much  of  their 
sublimity  of  conception  was  derived  from  Divine  inspira- 
tion, but  there  were  many  natural  causes  well  calculated 
to  give  fertility,  elevation  and  vividness  to  their  genius. 
We  will  consider  some  of  these  causes  in  this  and  suc- 
ceeding lectures. 

The  early  history  of  a  nation  is  one  of  the  most  fertile 
fields  of  poetic  thought  and  imagery.  The  genius  of 
poesy  loves  to  linger  among  those  remote  scenes  and 
events  over  which  time  has  cast  a  misty  veil,  mellowing 
what  was  dark  and  terrible  into  grand  and  beautiful 
imagery;  just  as  distance  throws  its  hazy  enchantment 
over  the  rugged  features  of  nature  and  softens  and  blends 
the  lights  and  shadows  and  various  objects  which  form 
the  pleasing  landscape. 

In  this  respect  the  Hebrew  bards  possessed  peculiar 
advantages,  as  they  had  a  history  extending  far  back  into 
the  misty  regions  of  antiquity,  and  fuller  of  important 
events  and  thrilling  incidents  than  the  history  of  any 
other  people  that  ever  existed;  and  these  events  and 
incidents  were  continually  presented  to  their  minds  with 


64 

wonderful  distinctness  and  power  in  the  yearly  celebration 
of  their  national  feasts  and  religious  ordinances. 

The  land  in  which  they  lived  was  almost  as  fertile  and 
beautiful  as  the  garden  of  Eden,  and  nearly  every  spot 
was  hallowed  by  memories  of  divine  blessings  and  by 
interesting  historic  associations.  They  were  endowed 
with  the  warm  and  glowing  fancy  of  the  Orient,  and  were 
highly  susceptible  of  grand  and  beautiful  impressions. 

We  will  now  rapidly  refer  to  some  of  the  great  events 
which  necessarily  gave  coloring  and  vividness  to  their 
fancy,  and  first  of  all  stands  forth  the  sublime  scenes  of 
creation.  The  first  chapter  of  Genesis  furnishes  the 
grandest  historic  panorama  ever  presented  to  human  con- 
templation. In  every  line  it  bears  the  impress  of  divinity. 
It  is  the  oldest  record  of  history  and  the  only  one  that 
gives  any  definite  account  of  the  origin  of  the  earth  and 
the  creation  of  man.  Blot  it  out  and  these  great  events 
would  ever  be  unfathomable  mysteries  to  mankind. 

The  wonderful,  but  still  imperfect  discoveries  of  physical 
science,  as  interpreted  by  infidel  and  undevout  philoso- 
phers, have  created  in  skeptical  minds  some  speculative 
doubts  as  to  the  truthfulness  of  the  Mosaic  narrative;  but 
no  such  doubts  existed  in  the  minds  of  the  Hebrews. 
They  were  not  acquainted  with  the  "Records  of  the 
Rocks,"  and  knew  nothing  of  the  teachings  of  Copernican 
astronomy.  They  looked  upon  the  world  as  it  appeared 
to  their  vision,  and  had  entire  confidence  in  the  narrative 
of  their  great  leader  and  lawgiver,  who  had  afforded  so 
many  evidences  of  his  supernatural  wisdom  and  power, 
and  his  immediate  converse  with  Jehovah. 

When  they  read  or  heard  the  account  given  in  their 
sacred  book  of  the  marvelous  events  of  creation,  with 
fervent  faith  they  formed  vivid  conceptions  of  that  period, 
when,  "In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heaven  and  the 
earth.  And  the  earth  was  without  form  and  void,  and 
darkness  was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep;  and  the  Spirit  of 


65 

God  moved  upon  the  face  of  the  waters;"  and  their 
devout  minds  were  filled  with  the  noblest  emotions  by 
those  sublime  creative  words,  "And  God  said,  Let  there 
be  light."  What  a  magnificent  scene  was  then  presented, 
witnessed  only  by  God  and  the  angels,  and  revealed  to 
Moses  in  glorious  vision.  Upon  the  utterance  of  those 
creative  words  the  dark  waters  and  thick  clouds  which 
curtained  the  pavilion  of  Jehovah's  secret  habitation  were 
rent  asunder,  and  light  beamed  from  the  eternal  throne 
and  cast  a  flood  of  celestial  radiance  over  the  turbid  ocean 
of  chaos  and  made  it  glitter  and  gleam  with  golden  glory. 

The  heart  of  a  pious  Hebrew  must  have  been  filled  with 
feelings  of  the  highest  rapture  when,  with  vivid  mental 
vision,  he  saw,  in  grand  succession,  the  unveiling  scenes 
of  the  wondrous  panorama  of  creation — when  God 
covered  Himself  with  light  as  with  a  garment,  stretched 
out  the  heavens  like  a  curtain,  laid  the  beams  of  His 
chambers  in  the  waters,  made  the  clouds  His  chariots 
and  walked  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind,  attended  by 
angel  spirits  and  ministers  like  a  flaming  fire.  What  grand 
emotions  must  have  thrilled  his  soul  when  his  fancy 
pictured  the  earth  as  it  was  upheaved  amid  the  receding 
waters  and  was  covered  in  rapid  succession  with  fresh 
verdure,  bright  and  odoriferous  flowers  and  with  clustering 
vines  and  trees  laden  with  luscious  fruits;  while  the 
waters  gathered  into  rushing  rivers,  gurgling  streams, 
and  "springs  in  the  valleys  that  ran  among  the  hills,"  or 
settled  into  broad  and  shining  lakes  and  seas,  or  rolled 
in  magnificent  billows  that  chafed  in  angry  murmurs  on 
the  ocean's  shore,  as  if  restive  and  impatient,  even  at 
Omnipotent  control. 

We  imagine  that  the  fourth  scene  in  the  panorama  of 
creation  would  have  excited,  in  the  highest  degree,  the 
impressible  and  enthusiastic  nature  of  an  Oriental.  When 
the  sun  seemed  to  come  out  of  the  gorgeous  chambers  of 
the  East   and   slowly   moved  in   radiant  splendors  up  the 


66 

blue  arch  of  the  firmament,  dispelling  the  misty  vapors, 
flooding  the  earth  with  golden  light,  giving  a  fresher 
verdure  to  grass  and  herb  and  tree,  shedding  richness  of 
color  and  sweeter  perfume  upon  the  shining  flowers,  and 
glowing  in  quivering  beams  upon  the  living  waters,  and 
then,  when  his  munificent  course  was  run,  casting  a  back- 
ward glance  of  iridescent  glory  upon  the  earth  and  skies 
which  he  had  beautified  and  blessed.  Then  twilight 
moved  with  silent  shadows  over  the  slumberous  earth, 
and  from  the  gathering  gloom  of  the  coming  night  the 
little,  timid,  trembling  stars  peeped  out  like  the  twinkling 
eyes  of  the  immortals  from  their  celestial  homes,  and 
then  the  moon,  in  queenly  beauty,  attended  by  the  shining 
planets,  made  the  heavens  "darkly,  deeply  and  beautifully 
blue,"  and  covered  with  soft,  mellow  and  silvery  light 
the  objects  which  had  just  been  glowing  with  the  golden 
glories  of  the  day,  and  then  the  balmy  breezes  and  lull- 
ing voices  of  nature  breathed  their  gentle  and  soothing 
melodies.  We  are  not  surprised  that  primeval  man  when 
he  lost  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God  should  have  bowed 
in  worship  to  the  sun  and  heavenly  hosts,  as  they  are 
grand  objects  and  were  well  calculated  to  inspire  the 
unenlightened  child  of  nature  with  feelings  of  the  highest 
adoration. 

To  the  Hebrews  who  had  a  correct  knowledge  of  Him 
who  placed  the  sun  in  the  firmament  and  guided  all  the 
heavenly  hosts  in  their  unerring  and  shining  courses,  the 
daily  and  nightly  scenes  which  they  witnessed  were  but 
manifestations  of  divine  goodness  and  mercy,  and  while 
they  elevated  their  feelings  of  adoration  for  the  great 
creator,  they  were  not  objects  of  idolatrous  worship.  The 
ideas  and  emotions  which  they  inspired  were  sublimely 
poetical,  and  the  grandest  and  most  beautiful  metaphors 
of  the  Hebrew  bards  were  derived  from  the  gorgeous  skies 
of  their  Orient  clime. 

We   will    not  refer  at  any  length  to  the  other   scenes 


6; 

presented  in  the  panorama  of  creation,  although  they  are 
full  of  poetic  suggestions  and  imagery.  Then  were  created 
the  monsters  of  the  deep  and  the  countless  myriads  of 
living  creatures  that  moved  in  the  waters.  Then  the 
wide  expanded  firmament  and  the  vast  forests  of  earth 
were  filled  with  flying  fowls,  and  with  the  singing  birds 
that  rejoiced  in  the  instincts  of  life  and  poured  forth 
their  sweetest  melodies.  Then  the  hills  and  valleys  were 
covered  with  numerous  animals  of  various  forms  and  na- 
tures that  were  wonderfully  adapted  for  the  purposes  of 
their  creation.  Then  man  stood  amidst  the  sinless  bowers 
of  Paradise,  made  in  the  image  of  God,  but  a  little  lower 
than  the  angels,  and  invested  with  power  and  dominion 
over  every  living  creature  of  earth. 

Then  came  the  Sabbath,  especially  sanctified  by  God  for 
rest,  holiness  and  worship.  How  exceedingly  beautiful 
must  that  first  Sabbath  have  been,  when  God  in  visible 
glory  was  present  in  the  holy  temple  which  He  had  just 
finished,  and  all  created  things  were  offering  sinless  adora-. 
tion  and  praise,  and  were  listening  with  devout  and  pure 
raptures  to  the  hymning  harmonies  of  the  angels.  Earth 
was  then  but  an  outer  court  of  the  heavenly  sanctuary, 
and  life  to  man  was  fresh,  joyous  and  immortal.  No  son 
of  genius  in  his  brightest  dreams,  no  prophet  in  the 
hightest  ecstacies  of  inspiration  ever  saw  a  vision  of  earth 
as  gloriously  beautiful  as  that  first  Sabbath  which  God 
blessed  and  hallowed  when  the  work  of  creation  was  done. 

It  will  come  no  more  to  the  sin-cursed  earth,  but  will 
dawn  again  on  the  Millennial  morning,  and  then  brighten 
into  the  higher  radiance  and  glory  of  the  eternal  day  in 
Heaven. 

The  fall  of  man  which 

"  Brought  death  into  the  world  and  all  our  woe, 
With  loss  of  Eden," 

was  one  of  the  most  important  events  in  history.     It  was 
the  beginning  of 'man's  sinful  and  sorrowful  destiny.     The 


68 

sacred  record  of  this  event  is  very  short,  but  it  must  have 
been  very  impressive  and  suggestive  to  the  Hebrews.  It 
filled  the  mind  of  Milton  with  grander  imagery  and  more 
eloquent  and  rhythmic  thoughts  than  were  ever  conceived 
by  any  other  uninspired  genius.  What  a  wonderful  transi- 
tion for  our  first  parents,  from  a  condition  of  immortality, 
perfect  purity,  holiness  and  bliss,  into  a  condition  of  sin, 
pain,  labor,  suffering  and  expectant  death  !  Can  there  ever 
be  a  scene  of  human  sorrow  so  full  of  deep  and  thrill- 
ing pathos  as  the  departure  from  the  Eden  home  of 
love,  light  and  joy  ?  When  the  streams,  the  trees,  the 
flowers,  the  breezes  and  the  pure  angel  spirits  of  Eden  sent 
forth  a  melancholy  chant  of  pity  and  farewell  to  Adam 
and  Eve  as  with  sorrowing  hearts  and  weeping  eyes  they 
passed  beneath  the  flaming  sword  of  the  Cherubim,  into 
the  dark  world  of  exile,  carrying  with  them  none  of  the 
blessings  of  Eden,  but  human  love,  memories  of  joy  and 
beauty  and  the  blessed  hope  of  Heaven  through  a  Re- 
deemer. How  sad  and  drear  and  lonely  must  have  been 
the  first  days  of  their  exile.  No  angel  voices  cheered 
their  drooping  hearts,  or  with  etherial  melodies  soothed 
their  troubled  slumbers.  No  more  could  they  gather  the 
luscious  fruits  which  their  sinless  lips  had  tasted,  and  they 
thirsted  in  vain  for  the  crystal  waters  that  flowed  by  the 
tree  of  life.  The  flowers  that  bloomed  in  amaranthine 
bowers  no  longer  delighted  their  sight  and  made  them 
breathe  delicious  perfumes.  The  birds  still  sang  in  the 
bramble  and  brake,  and  in  the  wild  woodlands,  but  they 
had  lost  the  joyous  trill  with  which  they  had  once  joined 
in  the  choir  of  the  angels.  The  animals  once  so  tame,  so 
gentle,  so  sportive  and  so  loving  had  now  become  es- 
tranged from  man  and  each  other.  The  blood  of  the 
lamb  was  on  the  fangs  of  the  wolf,  and  the  down  of  the 
dove  was  on  the  beak  of  the  vulture.  With  crested  head 
and  quivering  tongue  the  poisonous  basilisk  coiled  in  the 
pathway,  the  eagle  screamed  from  his  eyrie  as  he  swooped 


69 

for  his  prey,  the  fiery  eye  of  the  tiger  gleamed  from  the 
jungle,  and  the  angry  roar  of  the  lion  made  every  living 
thing  tremble  with  fear. 

Altnough  man  lost  so  much  by  the  fall  still  God  in  His 
infinite  goodness  and  mercy  made  earth  a  beautiful  home, 
and  watched  with  loving  and  tender  care  over  his  erring 
children.  Adam  and  Eve  were  soothed  in  their  sadness 
•by  the  blessed  hope  of  redemption,  and  during  their  long 
and  checkered  lives  had  many  days  of  brightness  and  joy, 
mingled  with  days  of  darkness  and  sorrow.  These  primal 
scenes  in  human  history  are  full  of  beauty  and  poetry  to 
us,  but  they  must  have  been  far  more  impressive  to  the 
earnest  and  religious  Hebrews  in  the  beautiful  land  which 
God  had  given  to  them  for  an  inheritance. 

The^  short  fragmentary  history  of  the  antediluvian 
age  is  very  suggestive  of  poetical  thoughts  to  an  im- 
aginative mind.  Adam  was  created  in  the  image  of  His 
Maker,  in  the  full  perfection  of  manhood,  and  must  have 
possessed  extensive  knowledge  and  wisdom,  which  his 
centuries  of  life  enabled  him  to  communicate  to  his 
descendants.  The  longevity  of  the  antediluvian  patri- 
archs afforded  them  ample  time  and  opportunities  to 
increase  in  knowledge,  and  improve  the  arts  and  sciences 
which  contributed  to  the  necessities,  comforts  and  ele- 
gancesof  life.  They  built  cities  and  many  of  them  "became 
mighty  men  which  were  of  old  men  of  renown."  Then  the 
"sons  of  God"  loved  and  wooed  the  beautiful  daughters 
of  men,  and  lived  with  them  in  wedded  bliss.  Then 
Jabal  and  his  children  pitched  their  tents  on  the  green 
hillsides  and  fertile  valleys,  and  in  the  midst  of  flocks 
and  herds,  dwelt  in  the  quiet  contentment  of  plenty  and 
repose. 

Then  the  tuneful  sons  of  Jubal  made  their  simple  harps 
and  pipes  breathe  forth  sweet  melodies  to  their  astonished, 
delighted  and  rejoicing  kindred.  Then  Tubal-Cain  on 
his  ringing  anvil  taught  men  how  to   form  the   sword  and 


7° 

spear  for  angry  strife,  and  the  plow-share  and  pruning- 
hook  for  peaceful  husbandry. 

The  fact  is  worthy  of  being  noticed  in  this  connection, 
that  Lamech,  the  first  poet  of  whom  we  have  any  history, 
was  the  father  of  Jabal,  Jubal  and  Tubal-Cain,  the  in- 
ventors of  the  arts  to  which  we  have  referred. 

Pastoral  life  and  the  arts  have  always  been  associated 
with  poetry.  The  song  which  Lamech  sang  to  his  dis- 
tressed and  weeping  wives  has  been  called  the  "song  of 
the  sword."  It  is  the  only  extant  antediluvian  song,  and 
was  transmitted  by  tradition  through  many  dark  centuries 
and,  under  the  direction  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  was  recorded 
by  Moses.  It  seems  to  have  been  preserved  because  it 
was  the  prelude  notes  of  the  awful  diapason  of  war  and 
carnage,  which,  amid  the  wail  of  humanity,  has  resounded 
through  succeeding  ages.  It  was  the  first  recorded  song 
of  sinful  man,  and  recalls  to  our  memory  the  facts  that, 
at  the  creation  of  the  sinless  earth,  "the  morning  stars 
sang  together  and  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy," 
and  the  first  song  of  the  Gospel  was  the  anthem  of  glory, 
peace  and  good  will  to  men  which  the  angels  sang  to  the 
shepherds  of  Bethlehem. 

We  will  not  dwell  longer  upon  the  antediluvian  age. 
With  the  exception  of  the  short  narrative  of  Moses,  it 
has  no  authentic  history.  It  has  ever  been  and  will  ever 
be  a  period  of  mystery  and  conjecture.  No  mortal  hand 
will  ever  uncover  the  flood-buried  annals  of  mankind. 
Many  traditions  and  legends  of  this  age  must  have  existed 
among  the  Hebrews  and  filled  up  omissions  in  their 
fragmentary  sacred  history,  and  must  have  presented 
vivid  pictures  of  antediluvian  patriarchal  life,  and  pro- 
duced many  songs  and  poems  which  have  been  lost  in  the 
whelming  tides  of  time. 

No  event  in  the  history  of  the  world  produced  a  more 
profound  and  lasting  impression  upon  the  ancient  nations 
than  the  deluge.     Traditions  of  this  event,  resembling  in 


7i 

many  respects  the  Mosaic  narrative,  existed  among  the 
Chaldeans,  Persians,  Egyptians,  Greeks  and  other  Oriental 
nations,  and  were  also  found  among  the  American  Indians, 
the  Mexicans  and  Peruvians,  upon  a  distant  continent, 
unknown  to  the  nations  of  the  ancient  world.  These 
traditions  mingled  with  the  religious  beliefs  of  these 
nations  and  constituted  a  large  ingredient  in  their  poetical 
literature.  We  may  well  conclude  that  an  event  so 
graphically  recorded  by  Moses,  and  so  implicitly  believed 
by  his  people,  and  so  suggestive  of  terror,  power  and 
immensity,  must  have  highly  excited  the  fervid  imagina- 
tion, and  stirred  to  the  utmost  depths  the  souls  of  the 
religious  Hebrews.  Even  in  this  distant  age,  the  short, 
simple  and  impressive  narrative  of  Moses,  enfeebled  as  it 
is  by  translation  into  our  language,  presents  a  vivid  and 
sublime  picture. 

We  can  form  only  a  faint  conception  of  the  thoughts 
and  emotions  which  must  have  filled  the  minds  and  hearts 
of  Noah  and  his  family  when  shut  up  in  the  ark  by  the 
hand  of  God,  saddened  with  human  sorrows,  but  in  the 
tranquil  confidence  of  faith,  and  in  security  and  solemn 
repose,  they  passed  unharmed  through  the  great  world 
drama. 

Universal  night,  as  deep  and  dark  as  chaos,  shrouded 
the  earth,  the  windows  of  heaven  were  opened  and  forth 
came  the  rushing  torrents  and  the  howling  storms.  The 
fountains  of  the  great  deep  were  broken  up,  and  the 
cruel  hungry  waters,  in  seething  billows,  gatheied  around 
their  shrieking  and  defenceless  victims.  Loud  wails  of 
agony  sounded  through  the  terrific  gloom,  rising  above 
the  roar  of  the  tempests,  and  grew  fainter  and  fainter  in 
the  continuous  midnight.     Then  was  heard 

"A  solitary  shriek,  the  bubbling-  cry, 
Of  some  strong  swimmer  in  his  agony," 

and  then  all  became   still   save   the  triumphant   shouts  of 
the   winds    and   waves    as   they  swept    over    that    ocean 


72 

without  a  shore.  Long  they  kept  their  wild  revels  over 
the  vast  watery  grave  of  the  sinful  race,  and  then  they 
became  obedient  to  the  Almighty  power  that  sent  them 
forth  on  their  dread  mission  of  devastation  and  death; 
and  the  winds  were  tamed  into  breezes  and  the  subdued 
waters  rolled  in  playful  and  musical  billows  over  the  bosom 
of  the  receding  ocean.  The  raven  messenger  returned 
not  from  his  unweared  flight;  the  timid  dove  three  times 
sent  forth  upon  the  restless  winds,  at  last  brought  an 
emblem  of  peace  and  good  will;  the  mountains  rose  into 
the  serene  heavens  amid  the  sunlit  air,  and  then  the 
purged  and  renovated  earth  smiled  in  fresh  verdure  and 
beauty.  The  smoke  of  the  sacrifice  then  ascended  from 
Noah's  rude  altar,  and  then  upon  the  astonished  vision 
of  the  late  flood-voyagers  shone  the  bow  of  promise 
in  motionless  calm  and  glorious  radiance,  the  effulgent 
and  benignant  light  of  the  great  eye  of  heaven  glowing 
on  the  dark  bosom  of  the  receding  storm. 

Some  of  the  grandest  poetry  in  every  literature  is 
derived  from  the  contemplation  of  the  ocean.  Whether 
tortured  into  fury  by  the  wintry  storms  or  reposing  in 
calm  benignant  glory  beneath  bright  summer  skies,  the 
ocean  is  an  emblem  of  vastness,  dread  magnificence  and 
power,  and  fills  the  mind  and  heart  with  a  sublimity  of  awe 
that  is  produced  by  no  other  object  in  the  natural  world. 
We  feel  that  it  is  an  image  of  eternity,  a  "  glorious  mirror 
where  the  Almighty's  form"  is  almost  visible,  and  it  rolls 
on  "fathomless  and  alone" 

**  Time  writes  no  wrinkle  on  thine  azure  brow 
Such  as  creation's  dawn  beheld,  thou  rollest  now." 

Yet  man  passes  over  its  watery  wildernesses,  encounters 
its  wild  billows  and  reaches  the  safe  harbors  of  commerce. 
He  can  measure  its  expanse,  map  out  its  currents,  dive 
into  its  caverns  and  gather  its  hid  treasures,  and  send  the 
lightning  bearing  human  thoughts  over  its  submerged 
valleys  and  mountains.     It  was  not  so  with  the  unknown, 


73 

the  illimitable  and  fathomless  oceans  of  Chaos  and  the 
Deluge.  If  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific,  as  they  mingle  their 
waters  and  sweep  round  the  globe,  clap  their  hands  in 
fierce  joy  and  call  to  each  other  across  the  continent, 
produce  such  high  poetic  inspirations  and  furnish  such 
magnificent  imagery,  we  may  somewhat  conceive  the  in- 
fluence upon  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  Hebrews  while 
contemplating  in  fervid  thought  that  universal  ocean  that 
once  rolled  in  darkness  over  the  unformed  world;  or  those 
shoreless  and  whelming  tides  upon  which  floated  the 
solitary  Ark  bearing  the  remnant  of  the  human  race  and 
moving  without  chart  and  compass  under  the  guidance 
of  an  Omnipotent  Pilot  until  safely  anchored  upon  the  top 
of  lofty  Ararat. 

The  short  post-diluvian  history  to  the  time  of  Abraham, 
showing  the  formation  of  the  different  nations  and  the 
re-peopling  of  the  earth  by  various  migrations,  presented 
manv  striking  scenes  which  together  with  many  traditions 
opened  a  wide  field  for  the  poetic  fancy  and  speculative 
thought  of  the  Hebrews. 

The  divine   call  of  Abraham,   accompanied   with    the 
promise  that  he  should  be  the  father  of  a  great  nation  and 
in  him  should  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed,  was 
the  most  important  event  in   early   Hebrew   history.     It 
was  the  genesis  of  that  peculiar  and  distinctive  race,  and 
all   the   attendant   circumstances    of   tribal  development 
were  well  calculated  to  fill  the  hearts  of  their   posterity 
with  pious,  patriotic  and   poetic  feelings.     We  know  that 
primal  events  in  the  histories  of  other  peoples  were  fruitful 
sources    of  poetic  sentiment.     The   Phcenecian    Cecrops 
founded  the  kingdom  of  Attica,  and  the  mythic  stories  of 
those  early  days  were   immortalized  in  Grecian  art,  elo- 
quence and  song.     ^Eneas  fleeing  from  the  ruins  of  Troy, 
and  after  varied  fortunes  reaching  the  Lavinian  shore  and 
planting  the  germ    of  the   Latin  race,  is   the   subject   of 
Virgil's  sublime  epic.     The  landing  of  Hengist  and  Horsa 


74 

and  their  Saxon  followers  on  the  shores  of  Britain  is  an 
important  and  poetic  era  in  English  history.  The  simple 
annals  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  and  the  Christian  heroism 
which  they  displayed  in  laying  the  foundations  of  our  free 
civil  and  religious  institutions  kindle  the  genius  and 
patriotism  of  the  American  people,  thrill  and  renovate 
the  heart,  and  have  produced  some  of  the  finest  eloquence 
and  poetry  in  our  literature:  ; 

No  poet  of  ancient  or  modern  times  has  ever  drawn  an 
ideal  character  equal  to  that  of  the  God  chosen  Abraham, 
or  in  their  brightest  dreams  of  genius  have  conceived  of 
scenes  of  pastoral  quietude,  contentment  and  repose 
comparable  in  simple  beauty  to  those  presented  in  the 
sacred  history  of  that  grand  old  nomadic  chieftain  dwell-' 
ing  on  the  wolds  of  Canaan.  He  was  so  just  and  generous 
in  all  his  intercourse  with  his  neighbors.  With  tender 
and  fatherly  care  he  watched  over  his  obedient  family  and 
instructed  them  in  his  sublime  faith  and  wisdom.  No 
dreams  of  ambition,  no  longings  for  temporal  power,  no 
cares  and  anxieties  about  earthly  wealth  ever  marred  the 
quietude  of  his  repose  or  disturbed  the  serenity  of  his 
noble  spirit.  In  his  hospitable  tents  the  poor  and  strangers 
found  a  cordial  welcome,  and  angels  were  sometimes  his 
guests.  He  was  brave  and  unselfish  and  ever  ready  to 
succor  the  wronged  and  oppressed.  He  possessed  and 
always  exhibited  the  noblest  traits  of  human  character, 
and  well  deserved  his  glorious  destiny,  as  the  "  Friend  of 
God,"  the  progenitor  of  a  great  nation  and  the  spiritual 
father  of  the  faithful  in  all  coming  ages.     ' 

The  histories  of  Isaac  and  Jacob,  although  written  in 
simple  prose,  are  full  of  the  spirit  and  imagery  of  poetry. 
The  story  of  Joseph  is  an  idyl  of  incomparable  pathos  and 
beauty.  It  has  won  the  admiration  of  every  age,  and  no 
one  who  has  any  poetry  in  his  soul  can  read  it  without 
feeling  the  sweetest  and  tenderest  emotions,  while  his 
eyes  are  hazy  with  tears. 


75 

Now  we  come  to  the  long  sojourn  in  Egypt,  the  "land 
of  cloudless  clime  and  starry  skies,"  the  land  of  treasure, 
cities,  pyramids,  obelisks  and  gorgeous  temples  of  the 
sun,  the  land  of  the  figtree,  the  lotus  and  palm,  and 
where  the  generous  Nile,  with  its  wealth  of  sweet  waters, 
made  a  fertile  garden  in  the  desert.  In  the  green  pas- 
tures of  Goshen  the  sons  of  Jacob  dwelt  as  herdsmen  and 
shepherds  under  the  munificent  care  of  their  princely 
brother.  Then  came  the  hard  bondage  under  the  Pharaoh 
who  knew  not  Joseph.  Then  a  beautiful  and  wondrous 
child  was  placed  by  a  pious  mother,  with  love  and  faith, 
in  a  frail  cradle  upon  the  turbid  river,  and  he  was  reared 
in  the  palaces  of  Egypt,  and  was  instructed  in  all  the 
wisdom  of  that  highly  cultured  people.  Then  came  the 
set  time  for  Israel's  deliverance.  The  sound  of  the  cruel 
taskmaster's  scourge  and  the  supplicating  cries  and  wails 
of  anguish  that  had  long  ascended  from  the  sweltering 
brick-fields  and  from  the  sorrowful  homes  of  toiling  and 
oppressed  Israel,  had  been  heard  in  heaven.  A  voice 
had  spoken  from  the  burning  bush  in  Horeb,  and  the 
Midian  shepherd,  invested  with  divine  power  and  wisdom, 
had  returned  from  his  mountain  solitude  to  enter  upon 
his  mighty  mission.  Then  commenced  the  grand  drama 
of  the  exodus.  Pharaoh  would  not  let  Israel  go  to  serve 
their  God,  and  nine  times  terrible  judgments  fell  upon 
the  people  of  that  beautiful  land.  The  Hebrews  in  their 
heaven-protected  homes  witnessed  the  terrific  and  won- 
drous scenes  that  were  enacted  around  them.  With  ready 
obedience  they  consecrated  their  homes  with  the  hyssop 
and  blood  of  the  lamb  and  prepared  the  Passover  supper. 
With  due  preparation  for  journeying,  they  were  eating  in 
haste,  when  in  the  deep  gloom  of  the  midnight  the 
startled  air  rang  with  the  wild  shrieks  of  a  nation's  agony, 
for  the  first-born  in  every  Egyptian  home  was  dead. 
Then  came  the  command,  "go  forward,"  and  on  the  desert 
pathway    of   the    multitudinous    host     shone    in    blazing 


76 

radiance  the  moving  pillar  of  fire.  No  people  ever  had 
such  a  commencement  to  their  national  destiny,  and  these 
initial  scenes  were  but  the  beginning  of  wonders.  Toil- 
worn  and  weary  with  three  days'  march  they  reached  the 
sea.  The  rapid  tread  of  Pharaoh's  advancing  hosts  and 
the  noise  of  the  chariot  wheels  were  heard  behind,  and 
before  them  were  the  rolling  and  leaping  waters.  Their 
hearts  were  filled  with  fear  and  their  mouths  with  bitter 
murmurings,  but  their  undaunted  leader  stretched  forth 
his  rod  over  the  swelling  waves,  and  a  strong  east  wind, 
like  a  mighty  hand,  rolled  up  the  billows  into  walls  as 
firm  as  adamant,  and  timid  Israel  went  down  on  dry 
ground  into  the  bosom  of  the  deep  and  received  the  bap- 
tism of  the  sea,  and  when  the  morning  came  they  stood 
in  safety  and  freedom  on  the  farther  shore,  and  the  pur- 
suing Egyptians  were  swallowed  by  the  waves  returning 
in  their  strength. 

Jehovah  "hath  triumphed  gloriously;  the  horse  and  his 
rider  hath  He  thrown  into  the  sea."  Then  from  millions 
of  rejoicing  hearts  swelled  out  a  grand  song  of  triumph 
over  the  desert  and  wild  waters,  and  was  echoed  by  the 
timbrels  and  choruses  of  Miriam  and  the  women  of 
rescued  Israel.  This  was  the  first  day  of  Israel's  accom- 
plished freedom,  and  the  first  act  of  their  national  life 
was  a  grand  triumphal  and  thanksgiving  song,  which 
seemed  to  consecrate  them  as  Jehovah's  earthly  musicians 
and  poets. 

Then  commenced  the  stern  discipline  of  the  desert  to 
prepare  them  for  their  higher  destiny  as  a  religious  na- 
tion— a  nation  of  priests  holy  unto  the  Lord.  They  tasted 
the  bitter  waters  of  Marah  and  murmured.  With  glad 
hearts  they  pitched  their  tents  by  the  wells  and  palm 
trees  of  Elim.  With  astonished  gaze  they  looked  upon 
the  dewy  manna  gleaming  in  the  morning  light.  Then 
they  fought  with  Amalek  under  the  banner  of  Jehovah - 
Nissi.     Then  they   saw  sweet  waters  gushing  from    the 


77 

rock  of  Horeb  and  in  limpid  coolness  flowing  along  their 
hot  and  dusty  desert  pathway.  Then,  in  the  deep  sub- 
limity of  reverential  awe,  they  stood  beside  trembling 
Sinai,  and  from  its  summit,  mantled  in  thick  clouds 
illumined  with  lightnings,  they  heard  Jehovah  pronounce 
His  inexorable  law. 

"  The  terrors  of  that  awful  day,  though  past, 
Have  on  the  tide  of  time  great  glory  cast." 

Every  night  when  the  Hebrews  retired  to  rest  they  saw 
the  pillar  of  fire  blazing  above  the  camp,  and  when  they 
woke  in  the  morning  the  first  object  that  met  their  view 
was  the  pillar  of  cloud  illumined  with  the  roseate  light  of 
the  dawn.  In  the  midst  of  the  encamping  hosts  stood  the 
gorgeous  Tabernacle,  the  dwelling  place  of  Jehovah,  cover- 
ing the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  the  winged  Cherubim  and  the 
fadeless  Shechinah.  The  giving  of  the  law  and  the  conse- 
cration of  the  Tabernacle  completed  the  organization  of  the 
nation,  and  we  believe  that  the  first  act  of  their  completed 
national  life  was  the  singing  of  the  ninetieth  Psalm — the 
song  of  Moses,  "  The  Psalm  of  Eternity,"  the  grand  Te 
Deum,  which  through  the  ages  has  given  consolation  and 
joy  to  the  living  and  the  dying,  and  irradiated  the  memories 
and  graves  of  the  dead.  We  will  not  trace  the  history  of 
the  wilderness  wanderings.  After  forty  years  of  wondrous 
events  Israel  crossed  the  Jordan  "  dry  shod"  and  pitched 
their  tents  in  the  beautiful  land  of  Promise,  their  fore- 
fathers home.  With  such  a  varied  and  marvellous  history 
gleaming  with  supernatural  glory,  and  continued  through 
eventful  centuries,  is  it  to  be  a  matter  of  astonishment 
that  Israel  was  a  nation  of  bards,  some  of  whose  songs 
and  sublime  poems  have  so  long  thrilled  the  hearts  of 
mankind  and  are  destined  to  be  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth. 


LECTURE   VI. 


Messianic  Hopes. — Climate   and   Scenery  o* 

Palestine. 


Although  the  Hebrews  had  a  grand  and  glorious  history 
they  had  national  and  religious  hopes  still  more  glorious. 
The  golden  age  of  the  heathen  poets  was  in  the  past, 
but  the  Hebrew  bards,  while  not  unmindful  of  the  past, 
were  inspired  with  brighter  expectations  of  the  future; 
and  they  eagerly  longed  for  the  coming  glories  of  the 
expected  morning  when  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  would 
arise  with  healing  in  His  wings.  The  genius  of  the  Greek 
and  Roman  poets  was  kindled  by  contemplating  the 
myths  and  traditions  of  fabulous  and  heroic  ages;  but 
the  souls  of  the  Hebrew  bards  glowed  with  fervid  enthu- 
siasm, as,  with  the  vivid  visions  of  prophetic  hope,  they 
looked  through  the  long  vista  of  the  future  and  saw, 
surrounded  with  triumphal  splendors,  the  glorious  King 
who  would  rule  His  people  Israel;  who  would  establish 
His  throne  on  Mount  Zion,  and  have  dominion  over  the 
whole  earth.  That  then  the  haughty  and  cruel  Assyrian 
and  Chaldean  would  be  trodden  under  the  feet  of  the 
conqueror,  and  the  wild  sons  of  Ishmael  and  Edom  would 
bring  tribute  to  the  children  of  Jacob. 

With  what  a  glorious  burst  of  lyric  rapture  did  Isaiah 
picture  the  future  of  Jerusalem — the  type  of  the  Church 
of  God, — "Arise,  shine,  for  thy  light  is  come  and  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen  upon  thee.  And  the  Gentiles 
shall  come  to  thy  light  and  kings  to  the  brightness  of  thy 
rising."  "Whereas,  thou  has  been  forsaken  and  hated,  so 
that  no  man  went  through  thee;  I  will  make  thee  an 
eternal   excellency;  a  joy  of  many  generations."     "The 


79 

sun  no  more  shall  be  thy  light  by  day;  neither  for  bright- 
ness shall  the  moon  give  light  unto  thee,  but  the  Lord 
shall  be  unto  thee  an  everlasting  light,  and  thy  God,  thy 
glory." 

Such  thoughts,  feelings  and  bright  Messianic  hopes 
must  necessarily  have  given  a  rich  and  gorgeous  coloring 
to  the  fancy  of  the  Hebrews,  as  they  entered  into  the 
faith  and  feelings  of  the  entire  nation.  Tney  stirred  the 
languid  blood  and  kindled  with  beaming  light  the  eyes 
of  the  old  patriarch  as  he  sat  at  his  tent  door  at  even- 
tide and  mused  in  holy  contemplation  upon  the  promised 
blessings  of  Jehovah,  and  watched  the  sun  softly  sinking 
behind  the  purple  shadows  of  the  hills  to  rise  again  and 
gild  with  glory  the  portals  of  the  morning. 

Such  thoughts  and  hopes  were  ever  present  with  the 
Priests  and  Levites,  and  hallowed  their  ministrations;  and 
made  luminous  with  the  light  of  faith  all  the  mystic  rites 
of  the  ceremonial  service.  They  added  a  heavenly  ra- 
diance to  the  smile  of  love  which  played  upon  the  face 
of  the  young  Hebrew  mother  as  she  soothed  her  beau- 
teous first-born  son  to  quiet  slumbers;  and  then  the 
yearning  hope  for  the  Promised  One  made  her  bow,  with 
almost  adoration,  beside  the  innocent  and  sleeping   child. 

On  the  lonely  Judean  hill,  when  the  midnight  had 
hushed  all  nature  in  solemn  stillness  and  repose,  the  de- 
vout shepherd,  as  he  tended  his  sleeping  flock,  and,  in 
holy  contemplation,  gazed  upon  the  deep  blue  skies,  glow- 
ing with  the  emblazonry  of  orient  stars,  often  had  a  more 
glorious  mental  vision  of  a  coming  time  when  the  Expected 
One  would  appear  as  the  Great  Shepherd  of  Israel,  and 
gather  His  spiritual  flocks  into  the  secure  folds  of  His 
love,  guide  them  gently  and  safely  through  the  dark  and 
dangerous  valleys  of  earth;  and  then  lead  them  to  the 
green  pastures  on  the  everlasting  hills  of  heaven,  to  drink 
the  crystal  waters  of  the  river  of  life. 

<  The  sublimest  poetic  raptures  thrilled  the  hearts  and  il- 


8o 

lumined  the  imagination  of  the  ancient  prophets  when  in 
vivid  vision  they  saw  "  The  Prince  of  Peace,  The  Won- 
derful, The  Councellor;"  and  their  rapt  and  inspired  souls 
heard  some  of  the  symphonies  of  the  Seraphim,  as  they 
poured  forth  magnificent  anthems  of  celestial  joy  and 
praise. 

The  expectation  of  the  Messiah  was  coeval  with  the 
fall  of  man.  It  was  awakened  by  the  blessed  promise 
that  accompanied  the  primal  curse  of  labor,  sorrow  and 
death.  It  existed  among  all  the  ancient  nations  as  a  dim 
and  shadowy  ideal  conception,  the  yearning  of  the  sad 
heart  of  humanity  after  some  future  good;  some  great 
deliverer  from  the  ills  and  woes  of  life.  With  the  Hebrews 
it  was  a  real,  vital  and  intense  hope  of  individual  happi- 
ness and  national  greatness  and  glory  in  the  near  future; 
and  it  cast  a  coruscating  and  consecrating  glow  upon  all 
the  proud  achievements  and  memories  of  the  past.  It 
was  a  perpetual  halo,  shedding  its  light  around  their  hearts 
and  homes,  and  brightened  all  their  ideas  of  the  true,  the 
beautiful  and  the  good. 

We  can  scarcely  be  surprised  to  find  that  such  a  living 
hope  greatly  influenced  Hebrew  history,  and  is  often 
found  glowing  in  the  highest  strains  of  impassioned  bards. 

We  believe  that  it  is  generally  conceded  that  the  climate 
and  scenery  of  a  country  have  much  influence  in  develop- 
ing the  imaginative  faculties  of  a  poeple.  There  is  no 
fact  better  established  in  the  history  of  literature.  There 
seems  to  be  a  peculiar  combination  of  natural  causes  and 
objects  necessary  to  produce  the  highest  poetic  inspira- 
tion. The  genius  of  poesy  seems  to  dwell  only  in  lands 
where  nature  is  wild,  bright,  joyous  and  beautiful;  where 
she  sings  her  jubilates  on  the  sunny  hills  or  in  the  shaded 
valleys,  and  the  winds,  storms  and  cataracts  hymn  their 
sublime  te  deums  in  mountain  temples.  The  broad  and 
fertile  valleys  of  the  Euphrates  and  Nile,  although  the 
birth-places  of  the  arts,  sciences  and  speculative  philoso- 


8i 

phies,  and  were  covered  with  rich  and  splendid  cities,  the 
homes  of  a  highly  civilized  people,  gave  no  immortal 
poetry  to  the  ancient  world.  While  Greece,  filled  with 
picturesque  mountains  and  vales,  with  whispering  groves 
and  musical  streams,  surrounded  by  sun-bright  seas  dotted 
with  emerald  isles,  was  the  favorite  home  of  the  Muses.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  Italy,  lying  beneath  the  shadows  of 
the  Alps,  interspersed  with  shining  lakes,  rushing  streams 
and  laughing  rills,  intersected  with  the  forest-clad  Apen- 
nines and  washed  on  either  shore  by  the  blue  and  gleaming 
waters  of  the  Mediterranean.  We  might  present  similiar 
parallels  of  countries  in  modern  times,  but  the  fact  as  to 
the  influences  of  climate  and  scenery  is  so  well  established 
that  it  needs  no  further  argument  or  illustration.  The 
contemplation  of  nature  in  its  grand  and  beautiful  aspects 
seems  to  expand  the  soul  and  give  boldness  and  vigor  to 
the  flights  of  the  imagination.  From  the  contemplation 
of  the  wonders  and  beauties  of  the  natural  world  man, 
even  without  divine  revelation,  may  form  a  vivid  concep- 
tion of  a  Deity. 

In  looking  upon  the  world,  full  of  so  many  objects  of 
usefulness,  goodness  and  beauty,  so  skillfully  adjusted  and 
arranged  in  order  and  harmony,  all  beaming  in  the  mag- 
nificence of  light,  the  human  mind  is  filled  with  the  grand 
idea  that  God  is  in  His  glorious  temple  and  is  worthy  of 
the  adoration  and  praise  of  His  creatures.  The  ancient 
pagans  could  see  in  all  the  natural  objects  which  sur- 
rounded them  motion,  activity,  life,  order,  harmony  and 
beauty,  which  they  attributed  to  the  influence  of  different 
divinities,  and  thus  was  formed  their  polytheistic  belief, 
which  was  refined,  elevated  and  beautified  by  the  skillful 
production  of  the  architect,  painter  and  sculptor,  but  more 
than  all  by  the  creative  genius  of  the  poet. 

The  Hebrews  looked  upon  nature  with  the  eye  of  a 
nobler  faith.  They  did  not  understand  the  natural  laws 
and  principles  which  the  investigations  of  modern  scientists 


82 

have  so  largely  discovered,  but  they  believed  that  all  the 
varied  objects  of  nature  were  connected  by  a  general   plan 
and  were  under  the  constant  control   of  an  Omniscient, 
Omnipresent    and  Omnipotent   Being,    the   sovereign   of 
their  nation  and  their  personal  God. 

If  we  will  take  a  rapid  survey  of  the  land  of  the  He- 
brews we  will  find  that  it  was  possessed  of  that  peculiar 
combination  of  natural  objects  and  historic  associations 
favorable  to  high  poetic  development.  No  where  was 
there  a  country  on  the  earth  which  had  a  more  delightful 
climate  and  presented  a  scenery  more  grand,  beautiful 
and  picturesque  than  the  ancient  land  of  Palestine.  Its 
mountains,  hills  and  plains  of  different  elevations,  and  its 
ravines  and  valleys  gave  it  the  diversity  of  temperature 
and  the  varied  vegetation  of  nearly  every  clime,  from 
perpetual  winter  to  the  luxuriance  of  tropical  summer. 
In  the  time  of  the  ancient  Hebrews  the  country  was 
exceedingly  fertile,  and  was  covered  with  forests  and 
groves  of  cedar,  olive,  myrtle,  palm,  terebinth,  oak  and 
accacia  and  various  other  trees,  furnishing  cool  and  refresh- 
ing shades,  and  they  were  musical  with  birds  of  sweetest 
song  and  richest  plumage,  and  were  fragrant  with  breezes 
that  bore  on  their  odoriferous  wings  the  balmy  treasures 
of  the  East. 

The  country  was  also  in  a  state  of  high  cultivation. 
Agriculture  was  not  only  the  principle  business  of  the 
people,  but  it  was  to  them  a  delightful  occupation.  The 
fertile  valleys,  plains  and  hillsides  smiled  beneath  the 
hand  of  careful  and  intelligent  industry,  and  filled  the 
barns  and  storehouses  with  plenty.  Even  rocky  ridges 
and  deep  declivities  were  clothed  with  fruitfulness  and 
verdure  by  the  cheerful  and  diligent  culture  of  the  hus- 
bandman. In  the  midst  of  these  rich  fields,  green  pas- 
tures, blooming  gardens  and  fruitful  vineyards  and  olive 
groves,  there  were  shady  glens  and  picturesque  ravines 
where  nature  reigned  in    undisturbed  dominion,    and    dis- 


*3 

played  in  varied  forms  her  wild  luxuriant  beauties,  inviting 
the  toil-worn  and  weary  to  quietude  and  repose. 

Palestine  was  indeed  a  paradise  land.  It  was  surrounded 
by  mountains,  deserts  and  seas — the  fortresses  which 
Jehovah  had  placed  as  defences  to  guard  the  sacred  herit- 
age. It  also  abounded  with  perennial  springs  and  clear 
sweet  brooks  and  rills  that  ran  among  the  valleys  and  the 
hills,  and  it  bloomed  with  many-colored  wild  flowers, 
those  little  but  eloquent  messengers  of  God,  those  gentle 
children  of  the  morning  light  bearing  fragrant  censers 
jewelled  with  the  sunshine  and  the  dew. 

Natural  causes  produced  an  atmosphere  more  trans- 
parent than  that  of  Italy,  which  gave  a  crysteline  lustre 
to  the  azure  skies  and  a  clearer  radiance  to  the  orient  sun, 
and  at  night  made  the  stars  appear  like  gleaming  "  isles 
of  light"  in  "  a  deep  blue  ocean  hung  on  high,"  or  to  the 
more  spiritual  fancy,  like  oriel  windows  in  the  sapphire 
dome  of  heaven,  emitting  the  effulgence  of  the  inner 
celestial  glory. 

Although  Palestine  was  so  highly  favored  with  the 
beauty,  magnificence  and  rich  bounty  of  nature,  it  was 
not  exempt  from  those  various  natural  causes  which  in 
other  lands  produce  feelings  of  awe  and  terror  and  in- 
spire sublime  poetic  thoughts  and  imagery.  The  Hebrews 
often  felt  the  convulsive  throes  of  the  earthquake,  saw  the 
fierce  and  glittering  lightning  and  heard  the  deep-voiced 
thunder  as  it  marshaled   the    dread  cohorts  of  the  storm. 

They  witnessed  the  devastations  of  the  whirlwinds 
and  of  the  turbid  torrents  that  rushed  madly  from  the 
hills  over  the  fertile  valleys.  Swarms  of  locusts  desolated 
their  vineyards  and  fruitful  fields;  beasts  of  prey  prowled 
around  the  folds  and  pastures  of  their  flocks  and  herds; 
and  "  the  pestilence  that  walketh  in  darkness  and  wasteth 
at  noonday"  sometimes  filled  their  homes  with  suffering 
and  sorrow.  On  the  Southwestern  border  of  the  land 
was  the  gloomy  sea  that  ever  reminded  them  of  the  sinful 


84 

cities  of  the  plain  and  Jehovah's  terrific  judgment.  Around 
it  was  a  desolate  wilderness,  filled  with  overhanging 
precipices,  rocky  pinnacles  and  deep  and  dark  gorges — fit 
symbols  of  the  valley  and  shadow  of  death.  We  know 
that  from  such  scenes,  occurences  and  objects  the  Hebrew 
bards  derived  some  of  their  sublimest  thoughts  and  many 
of  their  most  striking  similes  and  metaphors. 

We  will  now  briefly  describe  some  of  the  most  promi- 
nent features  and  scenes  of  the  country  which  God  selected, 
enriched  and  adorned  as  the  home  of  His  Chosen  People. 
There  was  Mount  Tabor,  rising  like  a  monarch  among 
the  fertile  hills  of  Galilee,  crowned  with  evergreen  verdure 
and  mantled  with  graceful  vines.  At  its  foot  was  Es- 
draelon,  the  battle-ground  of  nations,  spreading  like  a  vast 
embroidered  carpet  fresh  from  nature's  loom,  and  sur- 
rounded with  the  amphitheatre  of  the  blue  mountains  of 
Israel.  To  the  north  was  Lebanon  with  its  towering 
cedars,  forming  the  pillared  palaces  of  the  storm,  and 
down  its  rocky  sides  in  continuous  currents  were  flowing 
clear,  cool  and  glittering  streams  from  glacier  fountains. 
Just  beyond  a  deep,  broad  and  fertile  valley,  filled  with 
splendid  cities  and  enriched  by  skillful  cultivation,  stood 
Mount  Hermon, 

"  Whose  head  in  wintry  grandeur  towers, 

And  whitens  with  eternal  sleet, 
While  summer,  in  a  vale  of  flowers, 

Is  sleeping  rosy  at  his  feet." 

From  its  summit  were  seen  the  giant  structures  of 
Hazor,  the  wild  and  rugged  mountain  pass  of  Hamath, 
and  the  far  famed  rivers  of  Damascus,  beautifying  and 
refreshing  a  garden  plain  resting  like  an  island  of  verdure 
in  an  ocean  desert.  On  the  north-western  border  of 
Palestine  was  sweet  and  dear*  Genesareth.  With  lavish 
beauty  nature  seemed  to  have  adorned  her  for  her  hal- 
lowed history.  Sometimes  she  reposed  in  waveless  calm 
and  brightly  smiled  as  she  received  the  warm,  loving  kiss 
of  the  sun,  and  with  silver-like  mirror  reflected  in  mingled 


85 

tints  of  saphire,  emerald  and  gold,  images  of  the  green 
mountains  and  blue  unfathomable  skies.  Then  her  gently 
swelling  billows  joined  in  the  sports  of  the  playful  winds, 
and  then  she  writhed  in  agony  and  rage  when  her  peaceful 
realms  were  invaded  by  the  fierce  legions  of  the  tempest. 
Through  her  bosom  flowed  the  sacred  Jordan,  so  mem- 
orable in  Hebrew  history.  It,  too,  had  its  varying  moods. 
Sometimes  swollen  into  a  torrent  by  the  melting  snows  of 
Hermon  it  swept  in  rolling  tides  over  the  adjacent  valley, 
then  in  smooth  and  limpid  current  it  glided  in  musical 
gladness  beneath  the  shadowing  palms  and  by  the  verdant 
and  blooming  shores,  and  then  in  joyous  freedom  rushed 
along  the  winding  rapids  and  leaped  in  thundering  cascades 
of  foaming  splendors. 

Beyond  were  the  stately  oaks  and  the  extended  pas- 
tures of  Bashan;  the  prosperous  cities  and  balmy  groves 
of  Gilead;  the  lofty  summit  of  Nebo — the  mount  of  glo- 
rious vision  and  the  sepulchre  of  the  great  lawgiver,  and 
there  the  dark,  stern  mountains  of  Moab  stood  like  grim 
and  relentless  sentinels  over  the  gloomy  grave  of  the 
sinful  cities  of  the  plain.  To  the  south  the  mountains  of 
Edom,  indented  with  their  rocky  peaks  the  blue  rim  of 
the  horizon  and  overlooked  that  "  great  and  terrible 
wilderness"  which  had  been  the  scene  of  so  many  as- 
tounding miracles,  and  the  place  of  Israel's  long  wander- 
ing and  sufferings  before  they  reached  "the  goodly  land' 
of  plenty  and  repose.  In  nearer  vision  and  beautified  by 
contrast  were  the  hills  and  vales  of  Judah,  undulating 
like  the  waves  of  ocean,  clothed  with  the  fruitfulness  and 
verdure  of  a  genial  clime,  covered  with  bleating  flocks 
and  lowing  herds,  where  the  lilies  of  the  valley  bloomed 
by  perennial  fountains,  where  grew  in  purple  clusters  the 
luscious  grapes  of  Eshcol,  and  where  the  sweetest  honey 
was  ever  dripping  from  the  fissures  of  the  rocks.  Amidst 
these  scenes  of  pastoral  beauty  and  picturesque  loveli- 
ness   rose   Jerusalem,    "  The    Holy    City,"    radiant    with 


86 

architectural  splendors,  surrounded  by  blooming  gardens 
and  embowered  in  groves  of  the  richest  foliage,  conse- 
crated by  so  many  glorious  memories  and  hopes,  and 
encircled  by  the  sacred  mountains,  the  poetic  emblems 
of  Jehovah's  protecting  presence.  To  the  west  was  the 
solemn-sounding  and  mysterious  sea,  spreading  beneath 
cloudless  skies  far  beyond  the  limits  of  vision,  burnished 
with  the  golden  light  of  the  orient  sun,  and  ever  rolling 
its  restless  waves  upon  the  shores  where  bloomed  the 
"Roses  of  Sharon"  and  smiled  the  green  pastures  and 
rich  gardens  of  Carmel. 

In  every  part  of  this  beautiful,  luxuriant  and  sacred 
land  there  were  terraced  slopes  covered  with  thriving 
villages,  towns  and  cities,  and  quiet  hamlets  and  cottages 
nestled  in  fertile  valleys  beneath  shadowy  hills — all  the 
happy  homes  of  a  people  rejoicing  in  the  blessings  of 
health,  plenty  and  freedom. 

This  was  the  "  Land  of  Promise,"  more  beautiful  than 
a  poet's  or  painter's  brightest  dream,  for  it  was  blessed  by 
the  smile  and  hallowed  by  the  special  beneficence  of 
Jehovah.     What  land  so  meet  a  nurse  for  poetic  child? 


LECTURE   VII. 


History  and  Traditions  of  Paradise.  The  Sab- 
bath. The  Manners  and  Customs  of  the 
Hebrews.  

We  concluded  our  last  lecture  with  a  brief  description 
of  the  Land  of  Promise.  From  this  subject  the  transition 
is  easy  and  natural  to  the  consideration  of  the  influence 
exerted  upon  the  Hebrews  by  the  history  and  belief  of 
Paradise. 

Among  all  the  ancient  pagan  nations  there  existed  a 
traditionary  idea  of  a  lost  Paradise.  This  idea  seemed  to 
pervade  the  whole-  earth  like  an  invisible  seraph  from 
Eden,  breathing  sweet  harmonies  and  filling  the  human 
heart  with  shadowy  visions  of  the  distant  past,  when  pri- 
meval man  lived  in  a  condition  of  simplicity  innocence, 
contentment  and  blissful  repose;  in  a  home  of  abounding 
plenty  and  exquisite  picturesque  beauty;  always  bright 
with  serene  summer  skies  and  balmy  with  delicious  odors; 
where  existence  required  no  toil,  and  life  was  unmarred  by 
disappointment  and  sorrow,  and  was  not  darkened  by  ex- 
pectations of  death  and  the  gloom  of  the  grave. 

This  idea  was  largely  intermingled  with  the  early  his- 
tory, traditions  and  religious  beliefs  of  the  various  nations 
of  antiquity,  and  was  a  fruitful  germ  of  their  poetry  and 
art.  It  gave  rise  to  the  beautiful  fables  of  the  golden  age, 
and  of  the  gardens  of  the  Hesperides,  and  numerous 
other  myths  with  which  genius  enriched  the  immortal 
pages  of  classic  literature. 

If  we  had  no  truthful  history  of  Paradise  we  might 
readily  conclude  that  an  idea  so  universally  prevalent  was 


88 

derived  from  some  reality  which  existed  in  prehistoric 
ages,  and  was  not  a  mere  ideal  conception  of  the  human 
mind.  If,  then,  an  idea  transmitted  by  tradition  through 
the  revolutions  of  centuries  and  enveloped  in  the  shadows 
of  fable  had  such  suggestive  and  creative  influence  upon 
the  literature  of  so  many  different  nations  we  may  well 
imagine  that  the  Mosaic  account  of  the  garden  of  Eden, 
which  was  implicitly  believed  by  the  Hebrews  to  be  not 
only  a  truthful  but  a  sacred  narrative,  must  have  highly 
excited  and  developed  their  imaginative  faculties.  They 
were  truly  Orientals,  the  descendants  of  Shem,  and  pos- 
sessed in  a  high  degree  the  characteristics  of  that 
susceptible  and  imaginative  race  who  sought  habitations 
towards  the  rising  sun,  and  who  in  idolatry  worshiped  the 
shining  heavenly  hosts. 

Sweet  to  the  aged  and  care-worn  man  are  the  remem- 
brances of  childhood  days  that  awaken  new  pulses  of  life 
in  his  feebly  throbbing  heart  and  bring  a  light  of  joy  to 
his  eyes  enfeebled  with  age  and  dimmed  by  tears.  Sweet 
to  the  erring  and  friendless  outcast  are  the  bright  visions 
that  visit  him  in  dreams  and  carry  him  back  over  sorrow- 
ing years  to  a  happy  home  of  innocence,  purity  and  love. 
Sweet  to  the  exile  are  memories  of  the  fatherland  from 
which  he  had  wandered  far  away  over  the  mountains  and 
the  seas.  But  sweeter,  dearer,  holier  to  the  pious  Hebrew 
were  the  memories  of  Eden,  the  beautiful  and  sacred  land 
of  purity,  plenty  and  repose — the  sinless  home  of  his  first 
parents,  where  they  had  dwelt  in  innocence  and  bliss  in 
frequent  communion  with  Jehovah  and  the  angels.  It 
was  not  only  a  source  of  holy  memories,  but  it  was  a 
fountain  of  poetic  inspiration,  from  which  flowed  a  crystal 
Pactolus  enriched  with  golden  sands.  To  us  the  glories 
of  the  earthly  Eden  are  dimmed  by  the  more  effulgent 
light  that  beams  from  the  Gospel  and  gives  us  brighter 
faith  visions  of  the  heavely  home.  To  the  early  Hebrews 
these  sweet  and  hallowing  memories  of  a  lost  Paradise, 


89 

together  with  the  promise  of  a  Messiah  were  only  faintly 
suggestive  of  a  future  home  of  the  soul. 

Although  the  teachings  of  the  earlier  books  of  the 
Old  Testament  on  this  subject  are  dim,  shadowy  and 
typical,  yet  the  New  Testament  distinctly  shows  us  how 
the  ancient  Hebrews  understood  their  own  sacred  writings 
in  regard  to  a  future  existence.  With  the  aid  of  the  New 
Testament  we  are  able  to  comprehend  the  import  of  the 
ceremonial  types  and  symbolic  images  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment dispensation,  which  prefigured  the  doctrines  of  the 
atonement,  redemption,  regeneration  and  a  blessed  im- 
mortality. At  first  these  great  truths  were  seen  only  in 
the  dim  twilight,  and  in  the  after  days  of  the  prophets 
and  Psalmists  they  increased  into  the  brighter  radiance 
of  the  dawn,  and  then  burst  into  the  effulgent  splendor 
of  the  morning,  when  Christ  rose  from  the  dead  and 
"  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light"  through  the 
Gospel,  which  has  irradiated  the  world  with  the  glorious 
day  of  Christianity. 

Shadowy  and  dim  as  were  the  conceptions  of  the  He- 
brews of  that  religion  which  beams  in  the  fullness  of 
light  and  purity  from  the  New  Testament,  yet  they  were 
highly  suggestive  of  poetic  thought.  They  inspired  Job 
with  some  of  his  sublimest  rhapsodies,  they  were  the 
themes  of  many  of  the  most  glorious  Psalms,  and  often 
glowed  with  peculiar  brightness  in  the  lyric  raptures  of 
the  prophets.  They  cheered  the  Israelites  in  captivity, 
and  were  the  Shechinah  glory  of  the  second  temple. 
They  were  carried  by  the  Jews  to  all  parts  of  the  Alex- 
andrian empire,  and  influenced  in  some  degree  the 
literature,  philosophy  and  even  the  religions  of  the  an- 
cient nations.  The  doctrine  of  the  immortality  of  the 
soul  was  taught  in  the  schools  of  Athens,  Alexandria 
and  Antioch,  and  it  was  incorporated  into  the  philosophy 
and  sublime  monotheistic  faith  of  Zoroaster.  Every- 
where  and   in  every  language  it  found  a   response  in   the 


go 

human   soul  and   gave   inspiration  to  the  highest  poetic 
genius. 

In  this  department  of  religious  literature  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  Christian  poets  have  been  illumined  by  the 
inspiration  of  Christian  faith.  In  the  whole  range  of 
human  contemplation  there  is  no  subject  so  suggestive  of 
beautiful  thoughts  and  pure  and  holy  emotions  as  the 
Christian  hope  of  Heaven.  Around  this  hope  cluster  all 
the  pure  joys  of  life,  the  sweet  memories  of  the  past,  and 
the  earnest  aspirations  of  the  soul.  With  this  hope,  life 
is  not  a  continuity  of  sorrow  and  care,  a  dreary  funeral 
march  to  the  grave,  but  a  solemn  and  pleasant  pilgrimage 
to  a  better  land,  the  home  of  unending  love,  unalloyed 
bliss,  exceeding  beauty  and  everlasting  rest.  There  with 
friends  and  loved  ones,  with  saints  and  martys,  with 
Apostles,  Prophets,  Psalmists  and  Patriarchs,  with  Cher^ 
ubim  and  Seraphim,  with  Jesus  and  with  God  the  Father, 
the  redeemed  souls  can  enter  upon  an  eternal  life  of 
progressive  development,  where,  ever  beholding  the  glory 
of  the  Lord,  they  are  changed  into  the  same  image  from 
glory  to  glory. 

The  v Sabbath  is  properly  regarded  as  an  earthly  type 
of  Heaven,  and  we  will  now  proceed  to  consider  the 
influence  of  that  sacred  institution  upon  Hebrew  develop- 
ment. The  holy  observance  of  the  Sabbath  by  the 
Hebrews  contributed  materially  to  their  moral  and  intel- 
lectual advancement,  and  to  the  preservation  and  elevation 
of  their  national  poetry.  This  institution  was  established 
in  Eden  when  primeval  man  was  sinless  and  perfect  in 
physical  and  moral  organization.  Even  then  divine  wis- 
dom and  goodness  deemed  such  an  institution  necessary 
for  the  welfare  and  happiness  of  man.  It  seems  to  have 
floated  like  a  waif  from  that  beautiful  morning  land  of  its 
birth  down  the  dark  stream  of  the  ages,  through  the 
antediluvian  period  and  the  times  of  the  patriarchal 
church. 


9* 

When  God  selected  and  set  apart  a  peculiar  people  as 
the  special  depositaries  of  His  sacred  oracles,  and  formed 
them  into  a  nation,  He  reaffirmed  this  divine  appoint- 
ment, and  defined  and  imposed  duties  and  obligations 
in  the  Decalogue  proclaimed  from  Sinai.  From  that 
time  to  the  present  day  the  Sabbath  has  been  more  or 
less  observed,  and  has  conferred  numberless  civil,  do- 
mestic and  religious  blessings  upon  mankind.  Human 
experience  has  shown  that  one  day  in  seven  for  repose 
and  especial  spiritual  exercises  is  as  essential  for  the 
healthful,  physical,  moral  and  intellectual  development 
of  man  as  food  is  necessary  for  the  sustenance  of  the 
body.  Individuals  and  nations  who  fail  to  enjoy  this 
divine  blessing,  and  to  obey  this  imperative  law  of 
nature,  are  subject  to  sure  demoralization  and  decline. 
•  The  Jews  after  the  captivity  became  a  nation  of 
Puritans,  and  made  the  Sabbath  a  day  of  penance,  self- 
denial  and  gloom  by  the  ritualistic  formulas  and  cere- 
monials required  in  its  observance. 

Among  the  old  Hebrews  it  was  a  cheerful  and  happy 
day,  spent  in  physical  rest  from  daily  toil,  in  duties  of 
charity  and  mercy,  in  joyous  thanksgivings  to  God,  and 
in  the  pleasant  association  of  friends  and  neighbors. 

Those  who  were  conveniently  near  witnessed  the  un- 
usually splendid  and  imposing  services  of  the  sanctuary, 
and  those  who  were  too  remote  for  this  high  privilege 
gathered  round  the  prophets  and  elders  and  heard  recitals 
of  the  wondrous  history  and  hopes  of  their  nation. 
These  assemblies  were  usually  enlivened  and  cheered 
with  instrumental  music,  songs  and  the  sacred  dance. 
All  their  observances  of  this  sacred  day  tended  to  excite 
pleasing  and  elevating  emotions  that  made  melody  in 
their  hearts.  Thus  one  day  in  seven  their  physical  ener- 
gies were  refreshed  and  their  moral  natures  elevated  and 
spiritualized,  and  they  learned  to  associate  ideas  of  the 
holy  and  the  beautiful  which  formed  the  true  spirit  of  poetry. 


92 

We  may  in  some  degree  form  an  idea  of  the  hallowing 
and  elevating  influence  of  the  Sabbath  upon  this  ancient 
and  imaginative  people  by  considering  the  effect  which 
the  Christian  Sabbath  has  produced  upon  the  advancement 
of  modern  civilization  and  the  enjoyments  of  mankind. 

In  the  Apostolic  age  the  first  day  of  the  week,  the  day 
of  the  Resurrection,  was  ordained  as  the  Christian  Sab- 
bath, and  was  righteously  observed  by  the  primitive 
Church  in  the  time  of  its  simplicity,  purity  and  holiness. 
During  the  mediaeval  apostasy  of  the  Romish  hierarchy 
the  Sabbath  was  observed,  not  as  a  holy  day,  but  as  a 
holiday,  and  was  generally  spent  in  pompous  displays 
and  in  festivity  and  mirth.  Even  the  early  Reformers 
did  not  regard  the  religious  observance  of  the  Sabbath 
as  obligatory  upon  Christians,  as  they  believed  it  to  be 
an  institution  which  had  passed  away  with  the  Jewish 
dispensation.  But  the  Puritans  who  gave  civil  and  re- 
ligious liberty  to  England  restored  the  sanctity  of  the 
Sabbath  and  established  it  as  an  institution  indispensable 
to  pure  Christianity.  The  rigid  and  unnecessary  ob- 
servances which  they  imposed  have  passed  away  before  a 
more  enlightened  and  spiritual  faith.  The  Christian 
Sabbath  since  the  days  of  the  Long  Parliament  has  moved 
on  with  English  constitutional  freedom  and  enlightenment 
in  their  rapid  expansion  and  advancement,  and  it  is  now 
regarded  by  Protestants  in  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States  as  a  divine  and  beneficent  institution.  We  feel 
the  inspirations  of  the  Sabbath  consecrated  by  the  holiest 
memories  and  associations  and  illumined  with  glorious 
hopes.  The  tones  of  the  Church  bells  ring  out  so  joyously, 
waking  the  softest  and  purest  melodies  of  the  heart,  as 
they  summon  the  old  and  the  young,  the  rich  and  the 
poor,  to  enter  the  gates  of  the  Lord's  house  with  thanks- 
giving and  His  courts  with  praise,  and  there  from  holy 
altars  re-kindle  in  their  hearts  the  fires  of  faith,  hope  and 
charity. 


93 

The  Sabbath  sunshine  seems  to  fall  with  soft  and  hal- 
lowing radiance  upon  the  quiet  churchyard  where  sleep 
the  loved  and  pious  dead,  and  glows  like  celestial  light 
irradiating  the  tomb.  It  reminds  the  Christian  heart  of 
those  bright  hopes  that  make  the  grave  the  shining  gate- 
way of  heaven  where  welcoming  angels  receive  the 
redeemed  spirit  and  bear  it  to  that  blissful  home  "  where 
the  wicked  cease  from  troubling  and  the  weary  are  at  rest." 

The  Hebrew  Sabbath  was  commemorative  of  the  per- 
fected work  of  creation.  The  Christian  Sabbath  is  com- 
memorative of  a  far  grander  event,  the  perfected  work  of 
redemption,  when  the  bright  hope  of  immortality  was 
assured  to  man  by  the  resurrection  of  our  Saviour.  One 
was  especially  sanctified  for  the  adoration  of  sinless  man 
in  Eden,  and  was  afterwards  established  as  a  day  of  rest 
and  holiness  for  the  chosen  people.  The  other  is  an 
emblem  of  the  day  of  everlasting  rest  and  praise  of  the 
redeemed  in  heaven.  In  both  we  find  elements  sugges- 
tive of  the  sweetest  and  most  sublime  poetry. 

Among  the  Hebrews  the  Sabbath  was  not  only  a  reli- 
gious institution  but  exerted  a  marked  and  peculiar 
influence  upon  their  civil  and  political  economy.  It  gave 
rise  to  other  Sabbatical  observances.  Every  seventh  year 
the  land  had  rest  from  culture  and  kept  a  "  Sabbath  for 
the  Lord."  During  that  year  the  spontaneous  productions 
of  the  fields  and  vineyards  were  dedicated  by  law  to  the 
use  of  the  poor  and  the  sojourning  stranger.  Then  all 
debts  were  suspended,  all  secular  business  discontinued 
and  the  beasts  of  burden  and  the  slaves  had  release  from 
toil.  The  unusual  productiveness  of  the  previous  year 
filled  their  barns  and  storehouses  with  overflowing  abund- 
ance, and  every  heart  was  made  glad  with  the  enjoyment 
of  plenty,   which  was   a  special   blessing  from   the  Lord. 

The  seventh  sabbatical  year  was  the  great  year  of 
Jubilee,  when  freedom  from  debts  and  slavery  was  pro- 
claimed throughout   the  whole  land,  and  every   Hebrew 


94 

was  restored  to  his  patrimonial  inheritance,  and  the  exile 
returned  with  songs  and  rejoicing  to  the  home  which  he 
had  left  in  poverty  and  sorrow.  This  time  was  looked  for 
with  longing  expectation  and  with  the  fondest  and  dearest 
hopes  by  all  who  were  saddened  by  sorrow  and  misfortune, 
or  oppressed  with  poverty  and  slavery.  The  Jubilee  was 
the  birth  period  of  a  new  domestic,  tribal  and  national 
life,  and  the  whole  year  was  spent  in  festivity  and  rejoic- 
ing. On  the  tenth  day  of  the  seventh  month — the  great 
Day  of  Atonement — the  silver  trumpets  of  the  sanctuary 
were  blown  beside  the  brazen  altar  to  proclaim  the  year 
of  Jubilee.  The  sounds  were  heard  by  Levites  placed  at 
convenient  distances  on  elevated  positions,  who  also  blew 
signal  trumpets.  Thus  the  clear  and  ringing  notes  of 
the  trumpets  of  Jubilee,  started  from  the  sanctuary,  and 
seemed  to  leap  from  hill  top  to  hill  top  waking  gladsome 
echos  among  the  valleys  and  carrying  a  joyous  message 
to  every  heart  and  home  in  Israel.  I  will  not  further  con- 
sider the  objects  of  this  institution  or  the  influences  which 
it  exerted  upon  the  religious,  social  and  political  welfare 
of  the  people.  It  was  designed  by  God  for  wise  and 
beneficent  purposes,  and  greatly  promoted  the  perpetuity, 
prosperity  and  happiness  of  the  people.  It  must  have 
had  great  influence  in  developing  the  purest  and  noblest 
virtues.  A  year  so  full  of  blessings  must  have  inspired 
feelings  of  the  profoundest  thankfulness  and  gratitude  to 
God,  and  the  highest  love  and  devotion  to  country,  and 
filled  the  mind  with  pleasing  and  elevated  thoughts  that 
often  swelled  into  the  glad  and  beautiful  language  of 
poetry.  The  sweetest  and  holiest  emotions  that  ever 
thrill  the  heart  are  those  that  spring  from  love  for  God, 
for  country  and  for  home,  and  they  have  produced  rich 
and  immortal  poetry  in  every  literature.  These  influences 
and  emotions  operated  powerfully  upon  the  Hebrews, 
and  the  effects  can  be  traced  through  their  whole  history 
to  their  latest  posterity. 


95 

The  manners  and  customs  of  the  Hebrews  in  social  and 
domestic  life  furnish  strong  evidence  of  their  moral  and 
intellectual  advancement  and  poetic  temperament.  They 
were  the  most  kindhearted,  polite  and  accomplished 
people  of  their  times.  They  were  remarkably  fond  of 
social  intercourse,  and  their  manners  were  always  frank, 
amiable  and  refined.  Their  domestic  life  was  full  of 
parental,  filial  and  conjugal  love  and  tenderness.  The 
patriarchal  customs  of  their  ancestors  which  they  ob- 
served, prepared  them  in  early  life  for  the  faithful  and 
affectionate  observance  of  the  fifth  commandment  of  the 
Decalogue,  and  no  people  in  any  age  more  fully  venerated 
the  crown  of  gray  hairs  and  honored  the  face  of  the  old 
man.  Like  all  oriental  races  they  showed  a  courteous 
and  liberal  hospitality  to  strangers.  They  were  kind  and 
generous  to  the  poor  and  friendless  and  exhibited  the 
most  sympathetic  benevolence  to  widows  and  the  father- 
less. They  were  lenient  and  humane  to  their  servants 
and  even  their  domestic  animals  were  objects  of  their 
gentle  and  protecting  care.  In  their  ordinary  home  life 
they  were  frugal,  cheerful  and  industrious,  and  not  eager 
and  grasping  after  gain  and  wealth.  They  were,  however, 
fond  of  festive  enjoyments  and  at  such  times  were  dis- 
posed to  indulge  in  pomp  and  magnificence.  The  toilets 
of  the  Hebrew  ladies  on  such  occasions  were  especially 
costly  and  elegant,  and  this  feminine  taste  had  increased 
to  such  extravagance  in  the  days  of  the  prophets  as  to 
call  forth  their  expostulations  and  severest  censures.  In 
this  place  I  will  refer  only  to  the  social  and  domestic 
festivals  of  the  Hebrews   in  the  course  of  ordinary  life. 

A  marriage  was  always  celebrated  with  beautiful  and 
appropriate  ceremonies.  The  procession  from  the  home 
of  the  bride  to  the  house  of  the  bridegroom  was  witnessed 
by  a  large  crowd  of  kindred,  friends  and  neighbors,  and 
was  peculiarly  attractive  and  imposing.  It  was  led  by  a 
band  of  well  trained  musicians  who  made  the  soft  evening 


96 

air  vibrate  with  the  blended  melodies  of  instrumental 
music  and  joyous  song.  The  bridegroom  was  accom- 
panied by  a  number  of  companions  of  his  own  age,  and 
all  were  dressed  in  princely  elegance.  Young  and  beau- 
tiful  virgins,  arrayed  in  costly  wedding  garments,  sur- 
rounded the  blushing  bride,  and  bore  in  their  hands 
brightly  burning  lamps  filled  with  fragrant  oil  and  shining 
like  a  halo  of  stars  in  the  gathering  twilight.  The  long 
flowing  hair  of  the  bride  was  surmounted  by  a  nuptial 
crown — achapletof  fresh  evergreens  and  odorous  flowers — 
arranged  by  a  mother's  hand.  Her  raiment  of  needle 
work  was  richly  embroidered  with  threads  of  gold  and  pre- 
cious stones,  was  perfumed  with  myrrh,  cassia  and  aloes, 
and  was  bound  with  a  jeweled  girdle.  Overall  hung  in 
quivering  translucent  folds  a  snow  white  veil,  enshrining  in 
purity  her  graceful  form  and  her  youthful  innocence  and 
loveliness.  As  the  procession  approached  the  house  of  the 
bridegroom  another  company  of  virgins,  adorned  with  rich 
festal  costumes,  came  forth  in  the  airy  and  graceful 
movements  of  the  dance,  bearing  garlands  of  flowers  and 
swinging  newly  trimmed  and  shining  lamps,  and  with 
the  gladsome  songs  of  hail  and  welcome  they  mingled 
in  the  advancing  train  and  entered  into  the  brightly 
lighted  hall  of  the  marriage  supper.  Such  a  scene  of  joy 
and  beauty  must  have  charmed  all  beholders  and  made 
their  hearts  jubilant  with  tender  emotions  and  melody. 

The  marriage  feast  usually  lasted  for  seven  days,  but 
its  innocent  gladness  and  merriment  never  resulted  in 
sinful  indulgences  and  exhausting  dissipation.  Marriage 
is  often  referred  to  by  the  Psalmists  and  the  Prophets, 
and  was  the  subject  of  the  beautiful  "  song  of  songs," 
'written  by  the  wise  king  of  Israel.  In  a  subsequent  age 
it  was  especially  honored  and  sanctified  by  the  first 
miracle  of  our  Saviour,  and  furnished  illustrations  in 
several  of  His  touching  and  instructive  parables.  The 
marriage    union    was   used  as  an  appropriate  symbol  to 


97 

represent  the  loving  and  tender  union  of  Christ  with  His 
Church. 

The  birth  of  children  was  always  an  occasion  of  festivity, 
but  the  birthday  of  the  first-born  son  was  usually  cele- 
brated with  the  highest  munificence  and  gladness,  for  the 
hearts  of  the  parents  were  filled  with  thankfulness  and 
holy  joy,  as  the  event  was  associated  with  glorious 
Messianic  hopes.  The  enjoyments  of  the  domestic  fes- 
tivals of  the  Hebrews  were  not  confined  to  the  immediate 
kindred  and  friends  of  a  family  but  were  extended  with  a 
generous  hospitality  to  all  neighbors  and  even  strangers. 
In  the  peaceful  and  prosperous  days  of  the  commonwealth 
and  monarchy  there  was  scarcely  a  week  in  any  commu- 
nity that  was  not  enlivened  with  some  festive  scene,  and 
such  exciting  demonstrations  of  joyfulness  must  have 
inspired  the  imagination  and  produced  songs  of  love  and 
happiness  which  have  passed  away  with  those  olden  times. 

The  festive  scenes  of  primitive  life  contributed  greatly 
to  poetic  development  in  other  nations.  They  seem  to 
have  furnished  the  seed  germs  of  poetry  from  which 
national  literatures  have  sprung.  These  inspiring  influ- 
ences can  be  distinctly  traced  in  the  literary  remains  of 
the  Greeks  and  Romans;  they  still  have  a  living  power  in 
Italy  and  Germany  and  sunny,  joyous  France,  and  they 
produced  much  of  the  ballad  minstrelsy  of  Scotland. 
They  have  enshrined  in  song  memories  of  the  halcyon 
days  of  merry  old  England;  and  when  we  hear  the  sweet 
minstrel  melodies  of  Erin  that  once  sounded  at  festive 
boards  and  in  cottage  homes  in  that  land  of  song  and 
old  romance,  we  can  but  regret  that 

"  The  harp  that  once  through  Tara's  halls 

The  soul  of  music  shed, 
Now  hangs  as  mute  on  Tara's  walls 

As  if  that  soul  were  fled." 

The  season  of  harvest,  that  lasted  seven  weeks,  from 
the   Passover  to   Pentecost,   was  a  continuous  festival  in 


98 

the  whole  land.  The  joyous  song's  of  cheerful  reapers, 
merry  maidens  and  gleeful  children  were  heard  in  every 
field  and  filled  the  air  with  delightsome  melody.  The 
grateful  poor  gathered  the  corners  of  the  fields  and  the 
gleanings  among  the  sheaves,  and  with  gladsome  voices 
joined  in  the  "Song  of  the  Harvest  Home."  The  dusty 
threshing  floor  presented  a  scene  of  hilarity  and  mirth, 
and  even  the  unmuzzled  ox,  in  the  contentment  of  ap- 
peased appetite,  with  nimble  tread  performed  his  arduous 
labors. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  came  the  vintage,  which  lasted 
about  two  months.  The  vineyards  resounded  with  songs 
and  instrumental  music,  and  the  cheerful  laborers,  without 
feelings  of  weariness,  gathered  the  purple,  clusters  and 
trod  the  foaming  winepresses.  The  times  of  the  harvest 
and  vintage  were  also  seasons  of  universal  thankfulness 
and  gratitude  to  Jehovah  for  His  bounties;  and  the  hearts 
of  the  people,  rejoicing  at  the  prospects  of  plenty,  over- 
flowed with  love  and  kindness  towards  each  other. 

I  know  that  I  need  not  refer  to  the  abundant  evidence 
furnished  in  the  history  of  literature  to  show  the  influence 
which  rural  and  pastoral  scenes  has  exerted  in  developing 
the  poetic  genius  of  a  people.  Such  scenes  have  ever 
been  the  fruitful  sources  of  inspiration  for  the  poet.  I 
may  here  appropriately  quote  the  language  of  Emmerson, 
addressed  to  the  poet:  "Wherever  snow  falls,  or  water 
flows,  or  birds  fly;  wherever  day  and  night  meet  in  the 
twilight;  wherever  the  blue  heaven  is  hung  with  clouds 
or  sown  with  stars;  wherever  are  forms  with  transparent 
boundaries;  wherever  are  outlets  in  celestial  space; 
wherever  is  danger  and  awe  and  love,  there  is  beauty  as 
plenteous  as  rain  shed  for  thee,  and  though  thou  should 
walk  the  world  over  thou  shall  not  be  able  to  find  a  con- 
dition inopportune  and  ignoble." 

Many  of  the  Hebrew  people  had  their  homes  in  walled 
towns  and  cities,  that  they  might  afford  mutual  protection 


99 

and  have  means  of  safe  and  ready  defence  against  the 
predatory  incursions  of  robbers  and  marauders  from 
neighboring  peoples.  This  condition  of  mutual  depend- 
ence tended  greatly  to  strengthen  the  bonds  of  social 
and  political  union,  and  furnished  opportunities  of  frequent 
association  which  fostered  the  kindly  feelings  of  brother- 
hood and  increased  general  intelligence.  In  times  of 
peace  the  entire  population  of  every  city  met  morning 
and  evening  at  the  gates.  This  was  usually  the  time  and 
place  of  social  gatherings  and  of  business  transactions; 
and  it  was  also  the  time  and  place  when  the  ordinary 
city  courts  were  held.  The  judges  were  always  present 
and  ready  to  hear,  adjust  and  determine  disputes  and 
legal  controversies  between  citizens.  This  convenient, 
cheap  and  speedy  administration  of  justice  prevented 
long,  vexatious  and  expensive  litigation,  and  preserved 
the  harmony  and  good  order  of  the  community. 

On  a  cool,  bright  and  balmy  morning,  as  the  refreshed, 
cheerful  and  industrious  people  went  out  of  the  gates  to 
labor  in  the  adjacent  gardens,  fields,  vineyards  and 
pasture  grounds,  they  exchanged  kindly  greetings  and 
many  a  pleasant  look  and  word.  In  the  evening,  as  they 
returned  from  their  daily  toil  to  seek  the  rest  and  refresh- 
ment of  home,  they  paused  at  the  gate  to  witness  and 
often  to  participate  in  the  pleasures  of  social    intercourse. 

In  that  orient  clime  there  was  no  time  that  was  so  full 
of  calm  joyousness  and  exquisite  beauty  as  the  evening, 
when  the  sun  in  regal  splendor  and  with  parting  benisons 
was  closing  the  portals  of  the  day.  The  heat  and  burden 
of  toil  was  ended,  and  man  and  all  nature  felt  the  soft 
and  lulling  influences  of  the  mystic  hour.  Gorgeous  skies 
were  resting  on  the  purple  hills  and  the  verdant  landscape 
was  burnished  with  golden  light  that  was  slowly  fading 
into  the  mellow,  then  dim,  then  dusky  twilight.  Then 
the  soft  evening  air,  as  it  whispered  lullabies  in  liquid 
melodies,  was   sweetly  redolent  with   the   breath  of  the 


IOO 

clustering  vines;  and  the  sleeping  flowers  and  the  wild 
thyme  were  giving  out  their  fragrance  to  the  dew.  With 
gentle  steps  the  bleating  flocks  and  lowing  herds  were 
seeking  their  accustomed  folds;  the  birds  had  sung  their 
vesper  hymns,  and  with  twittering  joy  were  nestling  in 
their  leafy  homes;  the  plains  and  valleys,  near  and  far, 
curtained  with  the  mysteries  of  shadow,  were  sinking  into 
solemn  stillness  and  repose;  and  the  timidly  twinkling 
stars  were  marshaling  for  their  serene  march  over  the 
celestial  fields,  and  were  shedding  their  soft  and  tremulous 
light  over  the  slumberous  earth.  There  was  no  time 
when  the  heart  would  swell  with  sweeter,  purer  and  holier 
emotions,  and  the  mind  be  filled  with  higher  thoughts  and 
brighter  fancies.  The  associations  of  the  Hebrews  at  such 
times  and  under  such  circumstances  must  have  greatly 
advanced  their  mental,  moral  and  spiritual  culture  and 
developed  their  poetic  genius. 


LECTURE   VIII. 


Political  Freedom.      National  Unity.     The 
Religion  of  the  Hebrews. 


The  political  freedom  of  the  Hebrews  may  well  be 
considered  as  an  important  element  in  their  poetic  devel- 
opment. The  renowned  freedom  of  Greece  and  Rome 
exerted  a  highly  developing  influence  upon  their  literature 
and  civilization,  although  it  was  only  enjoyed  by  a  small 
class  of  citizens,  while  the  great  mass  of  the  people  were 
sunk  in  poverty  and  slavery.  Those  nations  never  recog- 
nized the  facts  that  personal  freedom  is  the  gift  of  God, 
the  common  birthright  of  all  mankind,  and  that  all  just 
government  is  founded  upon  the  consent  of  the  governed. 

The  government  established  by  Moses  was  a  theocratic 
republic,  founded  upon  an  express  covenant  freely  made 
by  the  people  with  Jehovah;  and  all  Hebrews  were  in- 
vested with  equal  civil  and  political  rights,  and  had  a 
representative  voice  in  the  enactment  of  laws  regulating 
their  civil  policy.  The  several  tribes  were  independent 
republics,  and  each  had  a  local  government  with  an  execu- 
tive, legislative  and  judicial  department,  administered  by 
officers  freely  chosen  by  the  people.  These  independent 
republics  were  formed  into  a  federal  nation  by  a  general 
government  which  regulated  the  duties  and  relations  of 
the  several  tribes,  and  was  paramount  in  its  powers  over 
all  matters  pertaining  to  the  general  welfare.  The  system 
of  local  and  appellate  courts  established  by  Moses  were 
remarkably  well  adapted  for  a  convenient,  cheap,  speedy 
and  impartial  administration  of  justice. 


102 

The  Hebrews  were  the  first  free  nation  of  antiquity,  and 
both  in  their  commonwealth  and  monarchy  established 
and  observed  those  enlightened  principles  of  civil  liberty, 
constitutional  government  and  social  order  which  have 
entered  so  largely  into  the  governments  of  modern 
Christian  nations,  and  which  have  been  so  splendidly  de- 
veloped in  England  and  America  by  the  Anglo-Saxon  race. 

The  Hebrews  were  not  only  freemen  in  whom  rested  the 
sovereignty  of  the  State,  but  they  were  all  landowners 
and  freeholders,  and  their  estates  were  so  entailed  as  to 
descend  in  perpetual  succession.  Under  the  Mosaic  laws 
lands  could  not  be  aliened  for  a  longer  time  than  the 
next  ensuing  year  of  Jubilee,  and  were  then  restored  to 
the  original  owners  or  their  heirs.  This  law  of  tenure 
prevented  both  extreme  poverty  and  overgrown  wealth, 
and  greatly  attached  the  people  to  the  country  in  which 
they  had  permanent  homes,  associated  with  memories 
of  their  ancestors  and  with  the  hopes  of  their  posterity, 
and  made  them  interested  in  preserving  public  order  and 
maintaining  the  supremacy  of  the  laws  of  the  State. 

On  their  small  estates  the  people  had  to  exercise  fru- 
gality and  industry  to  obtain  a  comfortable  subsistence, 
and  this  general  necessity  tended  to  elevate  the  dignity 
of  labor  and  give  to  every  citizen  the  proud  and  ennobling 
feeling  of  personal  independence.  No  system  of  laws 
upon  this  subject  was  ever  devised  by  human  wisdom  so 
much  in  harmony  with  the  general  objects  and  purposes 
of  the  law-giver  and  better  calculated  to  develop  a  free, 
enlightened,  virtuous  and  patriotic  people. 

The  enjoyment  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  seems  to 
inspire  the  noblest  emotions  of  the  human  heart,  to 
expand  the  intellect,  to  give  breadth  and  grandeur  to  the 
imagination,  and  is  the  very  life-spring  of  genius.  The 
brightest  pages  in  history  are  those  which  glow  with  the 
deeds  and  fame  of  the  heroes  and  martyrs  of  intellectual, 
civil  and  religious  freedom.     They  were  the  great  leaders 


103 

of  all  progress  in  civilization,  and  but  for  the  light  which 
their  spirits  shed  the  world  would  still  be  in  the  darkness 
of  ignorance,  superstition  and  barbarism.  The  spirit  of 
freedom  kindled  the  fires  of  genius  which  have  illumined 
the  ages.  It  gave  courage,  endurance,  energy  and  power 
to  the  heroes  of  Thermopylae,  Marathon  and  Salamis. 
It  guided  the  skilful  chisel  of  the  sculptor  as  he  wrought 
the  matchless  and  immortal  productions  of  art.  It  woke 
the  highest  notes  of  the  Grecian  lyre  and  poured  the 
splendors  of  eloquence  around  the  Acropolis  of  Athens 
and  the  Senate  Chamber  and  Forum  of  Rome. 

We  will  not  follow  the  brilliant  achievements  of  the 
spirit  of  freedom  through  the  modern  world,  when,  con- 
joined with  the  spirit  of  Christianity,  they  seemed  to  rise 
like  a  new  sun  from  a  dark  moral  and  intellectual  chaos, 
calling  into  life  the  slumbering  energies  of  man,  and  rising 
slowly  but  surely  to  that  zenith  where  it  will  cover  the 
earth  with  the  vivifying  light  of  peace,  liberty,  love  and 
holiness,  even  "as  the  waters  cover  the  sea." 

The  spirit  of  freedom  existed  in  a  remarkable  degree 
among  the  ancient  Hebrews,  and  was  greatly  intensified 
by  their  religious  faith  and  their  peculiar  situation  among 
the  nations.  They  were  surrounded  by  the  great  oriental 
despotism,  were  in  the  direct  line  of  ancient  war,  conquest 
and  commerce;  and  by  actual  observation  and  experience 
they  were  acquainted  with  the  horrors  and  demoralizing 
influences  of  subjugation  and  slavery.  They  were  in  the 
times  of  their  national  power  and  freedom  a  remarkably 
brave  people,  and  in  many  of  their  contests  the  odds  were 
greatly  against  them,  and  the  preservation  of  their  nation- 
ality and  free  institutions  for  nearly  a  thousand  years  is 
one  of  the  great  miracles  of  history.  They  had,  during 
the  long  period  of  their  national  existence,  abundant 
cause  to  believe  that  the  Everlasting  Arms  were  around 
them,  and  that  the  flaming  sword  of  the  Cherubim  guarded 
their  hallowed  land;  and  in  their  fervid  imaginations  they 


104 

could  well  call  Jehovah  their  strength  and  shield  and  high 
tower.  Great  and  glorious  facts,  and  not  fancies,  were 
the  sources  of  their  love  of  freedom  and  country,  and  the 
inspirations  of  their  sublime  poetry. 

This  love  of  freedom  and  country — the  most  striking 
political  characteristic  of  the  Hebrews — continued  during 
the  whole  of  their  national  existence.  How  beautifully 
was  it  exhibited,  even  in  captivity,  when  they  sang  in 
words  that  glowed  with  patriotism  and  glittered  with  tears: 

"  By  the  rivers  of  Babylon,  there  we  sat  down,  yea,  we  wept  when 
we  remembered  Zion.         ****** 

If  I  forget  thee,  O,  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cunning. 

If  I  do  not  remember  thee  let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my 
mouth,  if  I  prefer  not  Jerusalem  above  my  chief  joy." 

The  Jews,  from  the  time  of  the  Babylonish  captivity 
until  finally  subjugated  by  Roman  power,  never  showed 
the  humble  and  submissive  spirits  of  slaves.  Under 
Persian,  Greek  and  Roman  rule  they  were  generally  treated 
with  more  liberality  and  kindness  than  other  conquered 
nations,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  oppressions  of 
Antiochus  Epiphanes,  they  were  allowed  to  observe  their 
ceremonial  and  national  laws  and  customs.  They  were 
conservative  in  their  natures,  obedient  to  just  laws,  and 
opposed  to  revolutions  for  trivial  causes.  But  the  exercise 
of  any  despotic  authority  which  threatened  to  overthrow 
or  materially  change  their  religious  institutions,  at  once 
kindled  into  flame  the  smouldering  embers  of  religious 
zeal,  liberty  and  patriotism,  and  without  counting  odds 
or  the  consequences  they  rushed  to  arms  and  fought  with 
desperate  valor.  No  pages  in  human  history  are  more 
brilliant  with  deeds  of  sublime  endurance  and  heroic  valor 
than  those  which  record  the  struggles  of  the  Maccabaean 
brothers  for  the  altars  and  tenets  of  their  religious  faith 
and  the  land  of  their  fathers. 

In  the  memorable  seige  of  Jerusalem  under  Titus,  and 
in  the  awful  finale  at  Masada,  the  Jews  exhibited  a  burning 
patriotism,  lofty  heroism  and  self-devotion  never  equalled 


105 

in  terific  sublimity  in  all  the   horrid   tragedies  of  war  and 
the  overthrow   of  nations.     The  history  of  two  centuries 
taught  Hadrian  that  while  their  nation  had  an  organized 
existence  the  Jews  never  could  be  made  willing  and  sub- 
missive subjects  to  the  despotism   of  the   Caesars;  and  he 
determined  upon  their  extermination  or  complete  disper- 
sion.    The  sorrows,  misfortunes  and  oppressions  of  twenty 
centuries  have  not  destroyed  their  national  characteristics. 
Their  spirits  have  never  been  subdued  to  the  abject  condi- 
tion of  slavery,  but  they  have   always   manifested  hatred 
and  scorn  for  their  oppressors,  and  have  borne  the  agonies 
of  torture  and  the  contumely  of  contempt  with  the  sub- 
lime   courage    and    endurance    of  martyrs.     They   have 
passed    through    more   terrible    ordeals    than    any  other 
people,  and  they  have  come  forth  from  every  fiery  furnace 
of  persecution  without  even  the  smell  of  the  flames  upon 
the  unchanged  and  unconsumed  garments  of  their  ancient 
faith.     Feelings  so  deeply  implanted  and  so  indestructible, 
either     by    force    or    time,   must    have  glowed   with  the 
grandest  intensity  and  energy  in  the  age  of  their  national 
pride,  power  and  glory,  and  kindled  the  highest  poetic 
inspirations. 

A  spirit  of  national  unity  was  a  marked  and  distinguish- 
ing feature  of  the  Hebrew  nation.  They  were  the  chosen 
people  of  Jehovah,  all  the  descendants  of  Abraham — the 
most  venerable  character  in  history — and  were  all  heirs  of 
the  rich  blessings  and  glorious  hopes  of  that  covenant 
which  God  made  and  so  after  reaffirmed  to  their  great 
national  fathers.  They  were  continually  reminded  of  this 
covenant  by  the  rite  of  circumcision,  and  the  dust  of  the 
earth  and  the  sands  of  the  seashore  were  emblems  of  their 
numerous  posterity,  and  the  glorious  stars  of  heaven  that 
every  night  shone  above  them  symbolized  the  blessings 
which  they  were  to  shed  over  all  the  nations  and  races  of 
coming  ages.  This  covenant  was  the  Magna  Charta  of 
their  destiny,  the  vital  principle  of  their  civil  and  political 


ro6 

institutions,  mingled  with  all  their  history  and  illumined 
national  and  individual  aspirations  with  the  light  of 
Messianic  hope.  In  every  subsequent  age  of  their  dis- 
persion this  covenant  made  the  Holy  Land  the  sacred 
home  of  their  hearts,  and  sustained  their  sorely  tried  and 
fainting  spirts  as  they  suffered  centuries  of  wrong,  oppres- 
sion, misfortune  and  disaster. 

This  spirit  of  national  unity  was  also  kept  in  fresh  and 
vigorous  life  by  the  requirements  and  observances  of  the 
ceremonial  law.  Three  times  in  each  year  they  were 
required  to  go  up  to  the  Sanctuary  and  participate  in  the 
celebration  of  the  great  national  festivals.  There  they 
witnessed  the  solemn  and  imposing  rites  and  ceremonies 
of  their  religious  worship,  and  were  forcibly  reminded  of 
the  great  events  and  scenes  which  illumined  the  annals 
of  their  race.  These  three  great  national  festivals  were 
peculiar  to  them  as  a  people  and  were  associated  with 
ideas  of  liberty,  prosperity  and  nationality  under  the  care 
of  an  ever«watchfnl  providence. 

The  Passover  was  a  memorial  of  the  birthday  of  their 
freedom;  the  Pentecost  celebrated  the  giving  of  the  law, 
which  organized  them  into  a  distinct  and  independent 
nation,  and  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  reminded  them  of 
the  blessings  of  liberty  and  kindly  social  intercourse  which 
their  forefathers  enjoyed  in  the  simple  dwellings  in  the 
wilderness,  which  were  ever  beneath  the  light  or  shadow 
of  Jehovah's  presence. 

The  Feast  of  Tabernacles  was  the  last  great  annual 
festival.  It  came  on  the  fifth  day  after  the  great  Day  of 
Atonement  on  which  the  sins  of  Israel  were  removed,  and 
Covenant  relations  with  God  were  restored.  .  It  was  also 
called  the  Feast  of  Ingathering,  as  it  came  at  the  end  of 
the  year,  when  all  the  harvests  and  fruits  had  bee'n 
gathered  in.  With  a  sense  of  pardoned  sin  and  with  the 
prospect  of  plenty,  it  was  a  good  time  to  give  thanks  and 
sing.     Some  of  the  most  joyous  Psalms  were  written  for 


this  occasion  and  the  days  of  this  feast  were  the  most 
gladsome  of  all  the  year.  This  feast  was  also  regarded 
as  typical  of  the  greater  feast  which  God  was  preparing 
for  his  people  in  heaven  at  the  final  harvest  at  the  end  of 
the  world;  when  all  the  work  of  earth  would  be  done; 
when  the  fruits  of  toil  and  care  and  obedience  would  all 
be  gathered  in,  and  all  trials  and  sorrows  and  sufferings 
would  be  over  in  the  home  of  everlasting  joy  and  rest. 

These  festivals  were  celebrated  with  various  sacrificial 
observances,  with  songs,  with  music  and  the  sacred  dance; 
and  such  assemblages  were  well  calculated  to  keep  alive 
their  national  patriotism,  the  fraternal  relationship  of  the 
tribes,  and  their  confidence  and  trust  in  Jehovah;  and 
their  imaginations  were  excited  and  illumined  by  the 
solemn  and  imposing  ceremonies  of  the  sanctuary,  which 
were  memorials  of  a  glorious  past  and  types  of  a  higher 
and  nobler  destiny. 

We  know  that  the  Olympic  Games  were  strong  bonds 
of  union  among  the  States  of  Greece,  and  had  great 
influence  in  developing  the  courage  and  physical  energies, 
and  the  intellect  and  genius  of  that  gifted  and  brilliant 
people.  Like  influences  and  results  were  produced  by 
like  causes  in  other  ancient  and  modern  nations,  but  no 
nation  has  ever  existed  which  was  so  thoroughly  and  so 
permanently  nationalized  as  the  Hebrews.  The  "Scattered 
Nation,"  and  its  wild,  roaming  kinsmen  of  the  desert,  are 
the  only  peoples  who  have  endured  the  storms  of  centuries, 
as  long  as  the  pyramids. 

We  will  now  refer  to  the  piety  of  the  Hebrews  as 
another  powerful  element  in  elevating  their  national 
culture.  They  were  by  far  the  most  devout  people  of  the 
ancient  world,  and  their  religious  belief  was  the  life 
breath  of  their  nationality.  The  dream  of  Jacob  at  Bethel 
was  a  type  of  Hebrew  spiritual  life,  and  to  their  fervid 
fancies  the  mystic  ladder  was  never  withdrawn.  In  ardent 
faith  they  felt  that  hosts  of  angels  were  encamped  around 


io8 

their  dwellings  and  accompanied  their  journeyings,  and 
sometimes  they  could  hear  divine  footsteps  in  the  mur- 
muring groves,  and  they  believed  that  on  the  hills  and 
mountains  were  horses  and  chariots  of  fire  that  guarded 
their  sacred  heritage. 

In  all  ages  of  the  world  and  among  all  nations  the  idea 
of  God  has  given  the  highest  beauty  and  grandeur  to 
human  thought.  This  idea  produced  the  splendid  temples 
of  antiquity,  whose  ruins  still  show  the  taste  and  elegance 
of  the  culture  of  the  nations  who  reared  them..  The 
human  mind  has  ever  sought  after  God,  recognizing  Him  as 
the  great  first  cause  of  the  life  and  energy  that  pervades  the 
universe  and  fills  it  with  harmony,  beauty  and  beneficence. 
The  most  grand  and  sublime  conceptions  of  every  people 
are  to  be  found  in  their  religious  belief.  In  the  studio  of 
the  artist  his  grandest  ideals  are  in  some  way  connected 
with  the  great  First  Cause  of  symmetry  and  beauty. 

The  Gothic  structures  of  Mediaeval  Europe,  and  the 
magnificent  temples  of  more  modern  times,  with  their 
elevated  arches  and  lofty  spires,  are  representations  of  the 
aspirations  of  man  after  God.  The  Great  Spirit  of  the 
American  Indian  tribes  is  the  source  of  their  most  beautiful 
legends  and  superstitions,  and  of  their  richest  language. 
The  most  barbarous  nations,  sunk  to  the  lowest  condition  of 
degredation  and  debasement,  have  some  noble  Conceptions 
of  an  unseen  and  powerful  ruler.  There  seems  to  be  an 
universal  law  of  nature  that  prompts  the  human  heart  to 
seek  to  know  something  of  the  Infinite  and  to  hold 
communion  with  Him  in  the  language  of  poetry  and  prayer. 

The  most  beautiful  authologies  of  the  Greeks  are  their 
sacred  songs,  which  glow  with  intense  feelings  and  beautiful 
thought.  Their  mythology  was  the  principle  source  of 
their  poetry  and  art,  which  have  so  much  refined  the  taste 
and  enlarged  and  enriched  the  literary  treasures  of  the 
world  They  had  divinities  for  everything.  The  thunder 
was  the  angry  voice  of  Jupiter  on  high  Olympus,  and  the 


lightning  the  flash  of  his  terrible  thunderbolts.  Their 
mountains  were  the  thrones  and  their  plains  and  valleys 
the  council  chambers,  the  battlefields  and  the  habitations 
of  the  gods  In  every  tree  some  Dryad  was  dwelling  and 
Nymphs  were  ever  pouring  dew  drops  upon  the  flowers. 
On  every  stream  the  Naiads  were  singing  and  Apollo  and 
the  tuneful  Muses  were  waking  the  echoes  of  every  hill 
and  vale  with  ethereal  lyres.  Far  out  on  the  shining  seas 
the  Nereids  were  giving  music  to  the  waves.  The  breath 
of  yEolus  was  the  storm  that  stirred  into  fury  the  seething 
billows  which  the  Halcyones,  with  soft  and  soothing 
melodies,  lulled  into  gentle  slumbers.  Every  thing  that 
was  bright,  joyous,  musical  and  beautiful  in  nature  was 
the  gift  or  was  under  the  care  of  some  superhuman  being 
in  some  way  connected  with  the  immortals.  Every  house- 
hold had  its  tutelary  divinities  that  sanctified  the  hearth- 
stone, guarded  the  cradle  of  infancy,  guided  the  wayward 
footsteps  of  maturer  years,  and  whispered  of  Elysium  and 
the  Isles  of  the  Blessed  to  the  aged  and  the  dying. 

The  mythology  of  the  Greeks,  although  in  some  respects 
so  fascinating  and  beautiful,  presented  many  disgusting  and 
shameful  scenes;  and  many  of  their  deities  were  guilty  of 
horrid  crimes  and  enormities  and  the  most  beastly  vices 
ever  practiced  by  degraded  man. 

How  completely  does  the  sensuous  polytheism  of  the 
Greeks  sink  into  nothingness  when  compared  with  the 
sublime  spiritual  monotheism  of  the  Hebrews.  An 
uncreated  God,  as  unity  of  infinite  wisdom,  power  and 
immaculate  purity  and  holiness,  existing  from  everlasting 
to  everlasting  seated  upon  a  throne  in  the  heavens  high 
and  lifted  up;  clothed  in  garments  of  resplendent  light, 
and  crowned  with  ineffable  glory  and  majesty;  surrounded 
by  myriads  of  angels  and  archangels.  Cherubim  and 
Seraphim,  doing  His  will  with  gladness,  and  with  faces 
veiled  with  their  wings  ever  singing  to  the  music  of  golden 
harps  the  lofty  songs  of  eternal  praise.     With  omniscient 


i  ro 

eye  He  read  all  the  secrets  of  the  present  and  the  past 
and  contemplated  the  coming  events  of  the  future;  to 
Him  even  ages  were  not  moments  of  time,  and  eternity 
but  an  unending  now.  He  was  also  regarded  as  Omni- 
present and  Omnipotent,  not  only  dwelling  in  the  heavens, 
but  everwhere  present  and  controlling  every  part  of  the 
illimitable  universe  and  all  created  things,  not  as  a 
pantheistic,  animating  and  commingling  element,  but  as 
a  separate,  independent,  Supreme  Creator  and  Governor. 
He  spoke  worlds  into  being  by  a  word  or  the  exercise  of 
omnific  will.  He  measured  the  waters  in  the  hollow  of 
His  hand,  meted  out  the  heavens  with  the  span,  compre- 
hended the  dust  of  the  earth  in  a  measure,  weighed  the 
mountains  in  scales  and  the  hills  in  a  balance.  He  shook 
the  earth  on  her  deep  foundations  so  that  the  pillars 
thereof  trembled,  and  "  He  toucheth  the  hills  and  they 
smoke."  He  guided  the  heavenly  hosts  in  their  unerring 
orbits.  "He  telleth  the  number  of  the  stars.  He  calleth 
them  all  by  their  names."  And  yet  amidst  the  grandest 
displays  of  His  wisdom  and  power,  He  manifested  His 
holiness,  truth  justice  and  benevolence;  and  while  He 
would  "  by  no  means  clear  the  guilty,"  He  was  "  merciful 
and  gracious,  long  suffering  and  abundant  in  goodness 
and  truth." 

With  the  providential  care  of  an  All-Wise  Father  He 
watched  and  blessed  the  humblest  creatures  and  works 
of  His  hand.  "  They  all  wait  upon  Him  and  He  giveth 
them  their  meat  in  due  season."  He  sendeth  the  springs 
into  the  valleys  which  ran  among  the  hills  and  gave 
drink  to  the  beasts  of  the  field  to  quench  their  thirst. 
"  He  watereth  the  hills  from  His  chambers,"  and  freshens 
the  verdure  of  the  pastures  for  the  cattle.  He  giveth 
habitations  to  the  birds,  and  teacheth  them  to  build  their 
nests  and  sing  among  the  branches.  He  filleth  the  trees 
with  sap  and  maketh  them  rejoice  and  clap  their  hands. 
He  made  a  home  for  the  leviathan  in  the  deep,  wide  sea 


II I 


that  he  might  play  among  the  waters.  He  distilled  the 
sparkling  dew  and  perfumed  the  breath  of  the  morning. 
He  clothed  the  flowers  with  exquisite  beauty.  "  He 
giveth  snow  like  wool;  He  scattereth  the  hoar  frost  like 
ashes."  He  fed  the  young  ravens  when  they  cried.  <k  He 
made  the  high  hills  a  refuge  for  the  wild  goats  and  the 
rocks  for  the  conies."  With  what  astonished  and  rapturous 
admiration  did  the  Psalmist  sing,  "Yea,  the  sparrow 
hath  found  an  house,  and  the  swallow  a  nest  for  herself, 
where  she  may  lay  her  young;  even  Thine  altars,  O,  Lord 
of  Hosts,  my  King  and  my  God." 

Without  making  full  verbal  quotations  I  have  stated  a 
few  of  the  numerous  ideas  and  expressions  of  the  Hebrew 
bards  as  they  looked  forth  upon  the  glories  of  nature. 
They  did  not  observe  the  works  of  creation  as  natural 
philosophers,  but  contemplated  them  with  the  fervent 
and  loving  admiration  of  the  soul.  They  regarded  all  the 
objects  of  nature  as  their  kindred  under  the  care  of  the 
same  universal  Father  who  with  tender  and  beneficent 
love  provided  daily  for  the  wants  and  welfare  of  his  great 
family.  Their  poetry  of  nature  appeals  to  the  heart  and 
understanding,  as  they  combine  beauty  with  truth  and 
animate  both  with  intense  sympathetic  feelings. 

The  sublime  and  devout  religious  faith  of  the  Hebrews 
was  elevated  and  strengthened  by  the  continual  manifes- 
tations of  Jehovah's  presence.  If  they  went  astray  He 
scourged  them  back  to  duty,  and  when  they  were  obedient 
subjects,  their  corn  and  wine  increased  and  their  land  was 
blessed  with  peace  and  abounded  with  plenty.  To  them 
the  Tabernacle  was  Jehovah's  earthly  dwelling  place  and 
the  magnificent  Temple  of  Solomon  made  Jerusalem 
4i  The  City  of  the  Great  King." 

The  great  and  controlling  influence  of  metropolitan 
cities  can  be  distinctly  traced  in  the  history  of  all  civilized 
nations.  In  them  are  concentrated  the  industry,  wealth 
and  the   intellectual,    moral   and   political  energies  of  the 


un- 
people,- and   are   thus   concentrated    central   forces   that 
generate    and    regulate   peculiar    systems    of  civilization. 
This  fact  is   so  well  established   that  I   need   not  refer  to 
the  numerous  instances  presented  in  history. 

In  the  time  of  David  Jerusalem  was  made  the  political 
and  religious  metropolis  of  the  Hebrew  State  and  became 
endeared  to  the  people  by  many  proud  and  patriotic 
associations,  and  was  consecrated  by  the  hallowed  services 
and  emblems  of  their  religious  worship.  Their  love  for 
their  Holy  City  was  dearer,  deeper  and  stronger  than 
their  love  of  life,  and  this  love  has  endured  through  the 
long  line  of  their  descendants  for  nearly  thirty  centuries. 
Even  now  the  few  dejected  and  persecuted  Jews  who 
dwell  in  or  visit  Jerusalem,  every  week  gather  around 
the  few  broken  and  defaced  stones  of  their  ruined  temple 
and  pour  forth  wailing  words  and  bitter  tears,  and  with  a 
sublime  and  unshaken  faith  long  for  the  building  of  the 
walls  of  Zion.  An  all-absorbing  and  enduring  love  like 
this  is  itself  an  epic  of  wondrous  beauty,  pathos  and 
sublimity. 

With  their  language,  with  their  history,  with  their 
beautiful  country,  with  their  sublime  and  imposing  religious 
faith,  and  with  their  Holy  City  and  fatherland,  can  it  be  a 
matter  of  surprise  that  the  Hebrew  bards  produced  the 
grandest  and  richest  poetry  ever  read  by  man  ? 


LECTURE   IX. 


Art    Culture.    The    Tabernacle     and    Temple. 

The  Passover. 


In  observing  the  influence  which  poetry  has  exerted 
upon  the  intellectual  progress  and  aesthetic  culture  of 
other  nations,  we  are  naturally  led  to  inquire  why  the 
Hebrews  did  not  make  higher  advancement  in  the  fine 
arts  which  are  kindred  to,  and  usually  associated  with  the 
art  of  poetry,  in  which  they  attained  such  surpassing 
excellence.  We  will  now  proceed  to  examine  briefly  this 
interesting  subject. 

The  history  of  human  progress  shows  that  poetry  is 
the  only  one  of  the  fine  arts  that  ever  attained  any  high 
degree  of  excellence  among  a  primitive  people.  It  has, 
however,  nearly  always  preceded  and  created  that 
aesthetic  culture  which,  in  a  more  advanced  stage  of 
civilization,  has  given  rise  to  the  kindred  arts  of  elegant 
architecture,  music,  painting  and  sculpture. 

Egypt  is  generally  regarded  as  the  cradle  of  the  arts 
and  sciences,  but  that  people  never  produced  any  poetry 
of  the  highest  order,  and  never  became  eminent  in  the 
fine  arts.  Their  architecture  was  grand,  massive  and 
imposing,  and  their  painting  and  sculpture  were  stiff,  inele- 
gant, and  greatly  wanting  in  the  elements  of  beauty. 
They  taught  the  Greeks  the  first  lessons  of  art,  which 
that  refined  and  imaginative  people  carried  to  a  degree  of 
excellence  which  has  been  the  delight  and  admiration  of 
all  succeeding  ages. 

The  refined  and  elegant  culture  of  the  Greeks  may  in 
a  great  degree  be  attributed  to  the  poems  of  Homer. 
These  sublime  poems  were  produced  in  a  fabulous  and 
heroic  age  and  remained  for  more  than  three  centuries  an 


ii4 

almost  unwritten  minstrelsy  which  lived  with  vivid  fresh- 
ness and  power  in  the  hearts  of  the  semi-civilized  Greeks, 
inspiring  and  preparing  them  for  their  glorious  intellectual 
and  political  destiny.  When  these  poems  were  collected, 
arranged  and  reduced  to  writing  by  the  accomplished 
Pisistratus  they  constituted  the  principal  literature  of  the 
nation,  and  were  read  and  studied  in  the  schools  of  Athens 
and  the  cities  of  Ionia.  It  is  said  in  fable  that  Cadmus 
sowed  the  teeth  of  a  dragon  and  thus  produced  the  stal- 
wart warriors  of  Thebes.  It  may  be  said  in  metaphor  that 
Homer  sowed  the  prolific  germs  of  imaginative  thought 
which  sprang  up  into  an  abundant  harvest  that  has 
enriched  the  world  with  the  productions  of  poetry  and  art. 

During  the  period  of  the  Roman  republic  there  was  but 
little  poetic  literature,  and  we  find  the  people  brave, 
intellectual  and  practical,  founding  wise  civil  institutions 
and  beneficent  laws;  building  splendid  aqueducts,  paved 
roads  and  massive  structures  for  the  purposes  of  war  and 
commerce,  but  they  made  little  advancement  in  aesthetic 
culture. 

The  poetry  and  cultivated  taste  of  the  conquered 
Greeks  planted  germs  in  Italy  which  sprang  up  in  luxuriant 
fruitage,  and  soon  the  republican  city  of  brick  became 
the  imperial  city  of  marble,  and  the  whole  land  was  filled 
with  elegant  villas,  temples  and  palaces,  which  were 
crowded  and  adorned  with  the  highest  achievements  of 
artistic  genius. 

The  dawn  that  followed  the  midnight  of  the  Middle 
Ages  was  beautified  by  the  roseate  light  of  poetry.  In 
my  first  lecture  I  referred  at  some  length  to  the  influence 
of  poetry  in  forming  national  tastes  and  in  producing  the 
high  development  of  the  kindred  arts  of  architecture, 
music,  painting  and  sculpture.  This  influence  of  poetry 
seems  to  constitute  a  primary  and  fundamental  law  of 
refined  civilization.  To  this  general  law  the  history  of 
the  Hebrews  furnishes  a  singular  exception.     They  were 


"5 

a  highly  poetical  people,  and  made  some  advancement  in 
architecture,  music  and  many  of  the  useful  arts,  but  they 
made  little  progress  in  painting  and  sculpture.  At  an 
early  period  they  became  familiar  with  Egyptian  art,  but 
they  did  not  develop  it  into  elegance  and  beauty  like  the 
Greeks,  who  in  a  subsequent  age  received  information 
from  the  same  great  primal  source  of- civilization.  We 
propose  to  inquire  briefly  into  some  of  the  reasons  why 
the  Hebrews  in  this  department  of  refined  culture  did  not 
accomplish  as  much  as  the  Greeks.  In  mental  and  physical 
organization  the  Hebrews  were  not  inferior  to  the  Greeks, 
and  both  races  were  remarkable  for  personal  beauty  and 
graceful  symmetry  of  bodily  development.  The  Greek 
artists  in  the  young  athletae  of  the  gymnasium  had 
appropriate  models  to  guide  their  ideal  conceptions  of 
divinities  and  the  demigods  of  the  heroic  ages.  They 
were  always  surrounded  with  matchless  forms  of  female 
beauty  and  grace.  Greece,  Ionia  and  the  yEgean  Isles 
presented  numberless  scenes  of  picturesque  loveliness. 

The  Hebrew  artists  might  have  found  many  an  Asahel 
as  light  of  foot  as  the  wild  roe,  and  many  an  Absalom 
the  perfection  of  manly. beauty.  The  achievements  of  the 
fabled  Hercules  were  not  superior  to  those  of  the  Nazarite 
Judge  who  rent  the  young  lion  and  who  so  easily  bore 
away  the  ponderous  gates  of  Gaza,  and  overwhelmed  in 
terrific  ruin  the  crowded  temple  of  Dagon.  The  daughters 
of  Zion,  as  they  glided  through  the  mingling  mazes  of  the 
dance  to  the  sound  of  timbrels  and  harps,  might  well 
have  kindled  the  inspirations  of  genius  longing  for  ideals 
of  the  graceful  and  the  beautiful.  The  Hebrews  were  the 
highest  type  of  the  Shemitic  races,  and  the  Greeks  were 
the  noblest  of  the  children  of  Japheth,  and  both  were 
highly  imaginative  and  loved  the  beautiful  in  nature,  which 
they  found  in  such  rich  profusion  in  the  heaven-blest  lands 
which  they  inhabited,  and  both  expressed  their  ardent 
admiration  of  the  glories  of  nature  in  the  finest  strains  of 


u6 

poetry.  It  was  not  the  lack  of  taste  and  genius,  or  the 
want  of  suitable  subjects,  or  poverty  of  materials,  that 
prevented  the  Hebrews  from  attaining  superior  excellence 
in  imitative  art,  for  their  history  and  poetry  have  been 
the  rich  fields  from  which  modern  genius  has  gleaned  its 
most  splendid  conceptions  and  models  for  painting  and 
sculpture. 

The  principle  cause  of  difference  between  the  Hebrews 
and  the  Greeks  in  artistic  development  was  the  diversity 
of  their  religious  faith.  In  every  age  among  pagan 
nations  there  has  been  a  strong  feeling  in  the  human 
heart  that  prompted  man  to  seek  for  some  object  of 
sensuous  worship.  The  Greeks  had  no  divine  revelation 
to  guide  them,  and  their  ardent  fancies  created,  or  highly 
embellished  the  objects  of  their  adoration.  They  were 
deeply  impressed  by  natural  beauty,  which  they  supposed 
was  produced  and  preserved  by  supernatural  and  ethereal 
beings.  These  were  the  beau  ideals  of  their  religious 
aspirations  and  their  plastic  genius  gave  them  tangible 
and  visible  existence  in  painting  and  sculpture.  We  find 
that  the  highest  efforts  of  genius  in  the  fine  arts  repre- 
sented religious  feeling  and  sentiment.  The  mythology 
of  the  Greeks  was  the  rich  and  prolific  source  of  their  art 
inspiration.  The  spirit  of  Mediaeval  Christianity  was 
displayed  in  Gothic  cathedrals  and  minsters,  and  in  a 
later  and  more  enlightened  age  kindled  the  genius  of  the 
Old  Masters,  who  filled  the  cities  of  Europe  with  the 
noblest  miracles  of  art. 

The  Hebrews  had  but  one  place  of  public  worship,  and 
both  the  Tabernacle  and  Temple  were  built  under  instruc- 
tions from  Jehovah  and  were  sanctified  by  the  mysterious 
symbols  of  His  presence.  Thus  their  genius  for  sacred 
architecture,  painting  and  sculpture  was  not  called  into 
exercise,  enlarged  and  refined  by  the  frequent  construction 
of  gorgeous  temples.  They  had  none  of  the  incentives  and 
opportunities  which  stimulated  and  cultivated  the  genius  of 


ii7 

the  artists  of  Greece,  Romeand  Modern  Europe.  The  Tem- 
ple that  stood  in  the  midst  of  their  holy  city  was  built  by 
Tyrian  architects,  and  was  more  magnificent  in  architectural 
splendor  and  beauty  than  any  structure  ever  reared  by 
genius,  but  to  them  it  was  too  sacred  to  be  imitated,  it  was 
the  dwelling  place  of  the  Most  High.  Their  religious 
truths  and  principles  were  marked  out  and  defined  in  the 
heaven-directed  laws  and  institutions  of  Moses  with 
precision  and  exactitude,  and  were  too  solemn  and 
impressive  for  the  creations  of  fancy.  The  voice  of  Jehovah 
proclaimed  in  tones  of  thunder  from  the  lurid  cloud- 
temple  of  Sinai,  "  Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  thee  any 
graven  image,  or  any  likeness  of  anything  that  is  in 
heaven  above,  or  that  is  in  the  earth  beneath;  or  that  is 
in  the  water  under  the  earth."  They  had  heard  the  awful 
penalties  denounced  against  the  violations  of  this  law, 
and  often  witnessed  dread  judgments  on  the  disobedient. 
They  were  continually  surrounded  and  overshadowed  by 
religious  ceremonials,  grandly  gorgeous  and  imposing,  and 
their  ideas  of  Jehovah  Sabaoth  were  invested  with  a  sub- 
limity of  awe  too  exalted  for  art,  and  could  only  be  fitly 
expressed  in  the  language  of  divine  inspiration  which 
elevated  and  enraptured  the  soul.  In  the  times  of  their 
highest  religious  purity  they  could  not  imagine  a  sensuous 
representation  of  the  attributes  of  Deity;  omnipotence, 
omnipresence,  infinity  and  the  perfection  of  holiness, 
surrounded  by  that  ineffable  light  and  glory  before  which 
even  the  angels  veiled  their  faces  with  their  shining  wings. 
When  the  Hebrews,  under  the  demoralizing  influences 
which  surrounded  them,  departed  from  the  observances  of 
the  ceremonial  law  and  neglected  their  high  spiritual 
worship,  we  find  them  following  the  examples  of  pagan 
nations  and  setting  up  images  of  sensuous  and  idolatrous 
adoration,  but  they  were  always  brought  back  to  their 
sacred  allegiance  by  various  corrective  providences. 
:   We  will  mention  only  one  other  cause  for  the  inferiority 


n8 

of  the  Hebrews  in  the  fine  arts.  The  history  of  these  arts 
shows  that  they  have  never  attained  a  high  degree  of 
excellence,  except  in  a  commercial  and  luxurious  nation, 
where  many  individuals  had  accumulated  large  fortunes 
and  had  abundant  leisure  and  a  cultivated  taste  for 
refined  enjoyments.  The  civil  and  political  institutions  of 
the  Hebrews  were  designed  for  an  agricultural  and  not  a 
commercial  people.  They  were  all  descended  from  the 
same  common  ancestor,  and  under  their  free  institutions 
were  entitled  to  equal  social,  civil  and  political  privileges. 
There  were  no  proud  and  imperious  nobles  and  princes 
claiming  a  more  distinguished  lineage  and  higher  prerog- 
atives than  their  fellow  citizens,  and  who  were  desirous 
of  perpetuating  and  rendering  more  impressive  their  social 
position,  fame  and  power  by  costly  palaces  adorned  with 
the  rich  and  elaborate  elegancies  of  art.  There  was  no 
aristocracy  of  wealth  who  expended  accumulated  treasures 
in  the  profuse  extravagances  of  pomp  and  pride.  There 
were  no  large  communities  of  slaves  to  rear  massive  and 
ostentatious  structures  like  the  pyramids,  temples  and 
treasure  cities  of  Egypt,  and  the  gorgeous  palaces  and 
hanging  gardens  of  Babylon  to  perpetuate  the  fame  of 
cruel  and  licentious  despots.  The  laws  and  institutions  of 
Moses — to  which  we  have  already  referred — prevented  the 
accumulation  of  large  individual  fortunes. 

In  Palestine  there  were  no  great  cities  and  commercial 
emporiums,  the  seats  of  voluptuous  ease  and  luxurious 
refinements.  The  great  mass  of  the  people  dwelt  in  vil- 
lages and  hamlets,  and  were  forced  by  necessity  to  spend 
their  time  in  watching  their  flocks  and  herds,  and  in  culti- 
vating their  small  patrimonial  estates.  Thus  they  remained 
a  rural  and  pastoral  people,  living  apart  from  other  nations 
and  retaining  even  to  the  time  of  the  Babylonish  captivity 
the  simple  manners  and  customs  of  their  patriarchal 
ancestors. 

I   will   now  briefly  refer  to   the  elevating  and   refining 


ii9 

influences  produced  upon  Hebrew  taste  and  culture  by 
their  sacred  architecture,  music  and  the  splendid  rites 
employed  in  the  ceremonial  services  of  the  sanctuary. 
The  Tabernacle  erected  in  the  wilderness  by  the  heaven- 
inspired  genius  of  Moses,  Bazaleel  and  Aholiab,  was  a 
gorgeous  pavillion  gleaming  with  silver  and  gold  and  with 
the  brightest  coloring;  and  the  inner  curtains  were  richly 
embroidered  with  Cherubim  and  other  beautiful  figures  of 
delicate  and  elaborate  workmanship  and  joined  to  each 
other  with  finely  chased  clasps  of  gold.  There  was  an 
awful  sanctity  in  the  silence  and  solitude  of  the  Holy  of 
Holies.  No  one  ever  went  behind  its  mysterious  separating 
veil  except  the  High  Priest,  and  he  but  once  a  year,  after 
being  sanctified  by  the  most  solemn  and  elaborate  purifi- 
cations. In  it  were  placed  the  golden  Ark  of  the  Covenant 
containing  the  tables  of  the  law,  the  pot  of  manna  and 
Aaron's  wonder-working  rod,  and  above  the  Mercy  Seat 
stood  with  overshadowing  wings  the  guardian  golden 
Cherubim.  No  light  of  day  entered  this  sacred  and  silent 
penetralia,  but  it  was  always  illumined  by  the  radiant 
glory  of  the  Shechinah,  the  symbol  of  Jehovah's  presence. 
During  the  desert  pilgrimage  the  Tabernacle  was  always 
pitched  in  the  centre  of  the  encamping  tribes,  and  above 
it  stood  in  silent  grandeur  the  pillar  of  cloud  or  the  pillar 
of  fire,  which  was  the  visible  leader  of  the  marching  hosts. 
When  the  cloud  moved  from  its  resting  place,  the  silver 
trumpets  of  the  priests  were  sounded  and  the  clear  notes 
rang  out  in  soul-stirring  music  over  the  white  tents  of 
Israel,  and  echoed  and  re-echoed  among  the  valleys,  hills 
and  grand  mountains  of  the  desert.  When  Israel  reached 
the  Promised  Land  and  found  permanent  homes  among 
its  green  mountains,  vine-clad  hills  and  fertile  valleys,  and 
ceased  from  warfare  and  wandering, their  love  and  veneration 
for  the  Tabernacle  were  greatly  increased,  as  it  had  become 
the  political  and  religious  centre  of  the  nation,  and  three 
times   in    each  year  the  kindred    tribes   assembled  in  its 


120 

sacred  courts  to  join  in  its  hallowed  services.  When  they 
had  returned  to  their  homes  from  the  great  national  festivals 
their  memories  of  the  Tabernacle  were  always  fresh  and 
vivid,  as  they  knew  that  twice  each  day,  as  the  sun  arose 
over  the  Syrian  desert,  and  as  it  sank  into  the  waves  of 
the  great  sea,  the  silver  trumpets  sounded,  the  sacrificial 
fires  blazed  on  the  brazen  altar  and  the  cloud  of  incense 
ascended  from  the  golden  altar  in  the  Holy  Place,  as  an 
atonement  for  their  sins  and  an  invocation  of  the  continued 
blessings  of  Jehovah. 

Everything  connected  with  the  Hebrew  ritual  was 
impressive  and  splendid.  There  was  the  High  Priest 
clothed  in  the  bright  colored  ephod,  clasped  in  front 
by  the  breastplate  which  was  sanctified  by  the  Urim  and 
Thummim,  and  sparkled  with  precious  symbolic  jewels, 
and  on  his  brow  a  shining  coronet  of  gold  proclaimed 
him  "  Holy  to  the  Lord."  Around  him  were  the  priests, 
arrayed  in  rich  sacerdotal  vestures,  preparing  the  offerings 
for  the  sacrifice.  On  both  sides  of  the  brazen  altar 
stood  immense  choirs  of  white  robed  Levites  pouring 
forth  in  antiphonal  strains  the  sacred  songs  of  praise  and 
thanksgiving,  accompanied  with  rich  notes  of  instrumental 
music,  together  forming  grand  waves  of  melody,  which 
made  the  heavens  and  hills  resound  with  responsive 
echoing  raptures.  The  Tabernacle  worship  was  continued 
for  more  than  four  hundred  years,  and  these  religious 
ceremonies  were  made  still  more  splendid  and  imposing 
in  the  temple  service. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  describe,  at  any  length,  the 
temple  which  Solomon  built  unto  the  God  of  Israel,  and 
embellished  with  the  riches  of  exhaustless  treasures  and 
all  the  glories  of  Tyrian  art.  The  sanctuary  of  the  temple 
was  built  of  smoothly  hewed  stones,  adjusted  to  each 
other  with  the  nicest  precision.  It  was  covered  within 
and  without  with  cedar  boards  richly  carved  with  Cherubim, 
palm  trees  and   open    flowers,   overlaid  with  pure  gold. 


121 

The  inner  walls  and  ceiling  were  also  garnished  with 
precious  stones,  and  the  floor  was  a  shining  pavement  of 
gold.  The  ten  golden  tables  were  laden  with  golden 
vessels  encrusted  with  jewels,  and  the  ten  golden  candle- 
sticks, from  their  numerous  lamps  fed  with  fragrant  oil, 
sent  forth  a  continuous  breath  of  perfume  and  a  blaze  of 
light  that  filled  the  whole  apartment  with  coruscating 
splendors.  The  sanctuary  was  surrounded  with  stories 
of  chambers,  with  porticoes  and  galleries,  and  with 
massive  walls  and  towers  of  the  whitest  marble.  The 
whole  temple  structure,  with  its  costly  and  precious 
decorations  and  adornments,  rested  upon  the  top  of  the 
sacred  mountain,  and  on  a  clear  day  it  glowed  and  gleamed 
and  glittered  in  radiant  glory  like  a  magnificent  palace  of 
the  sun  "From  diamond  quarries  hewn  and  rocks  of  gold." 
It  was  hallowed  by  the  symbols  of  Jehovah's  presence, 
and  His  voice  of  benediction  had  resounded  through  its 
sanctuaries.  Well  might  the  heart  of  a  pious  and  patriotic 
Hebrew  have  swelled  with  the  noblest  sentiments  and 
feelings  as  he  beheld  this  pride  of  his  country  and  the 
glorious  temple  of  his  God;  while  all  the  emotions  of  his 
soul  bursted  forth  in  rapturous  song. 

We  will  now  consider,  with  more  minuteness  of  detail 
than  we  have  heretofore  done,  some  of  the  scenes  presented 
in  the  celebration  of  the  Passover.  We  select  this  one 
of  the  great  national  festivals  of  the  Hebrews, as  important 
events  in  their  later  history  have  rendered  it  so  memorable 
and  interesting  to  the  Christian  world. 

In  the  spring  time  of  every  year  the  families  of  Israel 
commenced  their  annual  pilgrimage  to  the  holy  city,  and 
from  the  mountains  of  Lebanon,  the  hills  of  Kedar,  the 
plains  of  Syria,  the  shores  of  the  great  sea,  and  from  all 
the  green  valleys  of  the  holy  land,  in  gathering  caravans 
went  up  to  Jerusalem  to  worship,  singing  songs  of  joy 
and  praise  and  carrying  offerings  for  the  Temple.  To 
them  it  was  a  sacred  pilgrimage,  rendered  joyous   by  the 


122 

association  of  old  friends,  and  every  resting  place  was  a 
familiar  spot  surrounded  by  the  beauties  of  nature  and; 
hallowed  by  pleasant  memories.  Everywhere  along  the 
journey  they  witnessed  scenes  renowned  in  heroic  and 
sacred  story,  and  heard  names  made  musical  by  the 
melody  of  song.  And  when  from  the  mountains  round 
about  Jerusalem  they  saw  their  sacred  temple  and  holy 
city  gleaming  with  the  reflected  glories  of  the  sunlight, 
with  feelings  of  intense  devotion  they  sang  a  sublime 
liturgical  Psalm  in  choral  joy  and  melody  that  seemed 
to  make  even  the  trees  of  the  wood  to  rejoice  and  the 
green  hills  shout  with  gladness.  In  the  hospitable  homes 
of  the  city  they  found  a  cordial  welcome,  and  everywhere 
in  house  and  tent  and  booth  families  gathered  at  the 
table  of  the  paschal  supper  and  in  effectionate  and  holy 
communion  celebrated  the  great  national  feast.  They  were 
not  wearied  from  journeying  but  spent  the  night  in  talking 
over  the  memorable  events  in  their  nation's  history,  and 
with  grateful  hearts  returned  thanks  to  Jehovah  for  His 
manifold  beneficences.  They  eagerly  longed  for  the  coming 
morning  when  the  great  congregation  would  enter  the 
gates  of  the  Lord's  house  with  thanksgiving  and  praise. 
I  will  now  attempt  to  describe  briefly  a  scene  which 
might  have  been  witnessed  by  a  pious  Hebrew  from  the 
top  of  Mount  Olivet  on  the  first  day  of  the  Passover. 
The  kindling  rays  of  the  dawn  have  tipped  with  silvery 
brightness  the  summits  of  the  dark  mountains  of  Moab 
and  the  gray  twilight  is  gliding  silently  and  softly  over 
the  awakening  city  and  amid  the  gloaming  of  the  wide 
extended  landscape.  All  things  in  nature  have  waked 
from  the  solemn  stillness  and  slumbers  of  the  night,  and 
with  fresh,  glad  voices  seem  to  hail  the  coming  light,  while 
soft  mystic  melodies  are  floating  on  the  ambient  air.  Now 
he  sees  more  distinctly  the  white  tents  on  the  mountain 
sides  and  in  the  deep  valleys  and  can  hear  the  noise  of 
eager  footsteps  and  the  busy  hum  of  voices  that  tell  him 


123 

that  the  devout  hosts  of  Israel  are  preparing  for  the  morn- 
ing sacrifice.  In  the  East  are  slowly  spreading  the  gorgeous 
curtains  of  the  earthly  tabernacle,  gleaming  in  purple  and 
gold  and  glorious  in  beauty,  resting  on  mountain  pillars, 
and  covering  flowery  plains,  verdant  hills  and  fruitful 
valleys.  And  now  the  sun — nature's  high  priest — enters 
through  the  beautiful  gates  of  the  morning  and  with  grand 
majestic  march  moves  up  his  celestial  pathway  and  with 
bountiful  beneficence  fills  the  earthly  tabernacle  with 
golden  radiance,  blessedness  and  joy;  and  nature  worships 
its  Great  Creator  and  sends  up  anthems  of  thanksgiving 
and  the  richest  incense  to  His  holy  temple  not  made  with 
hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens.  Now  man  begins  his 
worship,  and  the  silver  trumpets  from  the  temple  wake  the 
echoes  that  slumbered  among  the  mountains  of  Zion,  and 
clear  and  musical  the  notes  come  over  the  the  gliding 
Kidron  and  are  ringing  among  the  cedars,  the  figtrees, 
the  clustering  vines  and  waving  palms  of  Olivet. 

It  is  the  hour  of  the  morning  sacrifice  and  the  mingled 
clouds  from  the  altars  of  incense  and  burnt  offering  are 
rising  above  the  gleaming  pinnacles,  the  stately  porches 
and  beautiful  gates  of  the  Temple,  and  are  spreading  like 
Jehovah's  protecting  wing  over  the  assembled  people  and 
the  hallowed  land.  From  every  house  in  Jerusalem,  and 
from  the  tents  of  Israel,  rejoicing  worshipers  are  crowding 
up  the  marble  steps  of  the  temple  courts  and  with  voices 
and  emotions  gushing  from  grateful  hearts  are  joining  the 
glorious  harmonies  of  the  temple  choirs  as  with  exultant 
joy  they  sing  the  sublime  morning  anthem.  The  grand 
and  imposing  scenes  which  accompanied  the  celebration 
of  the  great  national  festivals  must  have  made  a  profound 
and  ineffaceable  impression  upon  the  pious,  patriotic  and 
imaginative  Hebrew,  as  he  earnestly  believed  that  they 
but  dimly  prefigured  the  Messianic  glories  that  were  to 
beam  with  supernatural  splendors  around  the  mountains 
of  Zion  and   make  Jerusalem  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth. 


LECTURE   X. 


The  Ages  of  David  and  Solomon.    The  Influence 
of  Hebrew  Poetry  upon  Christian  Hymnology. 


The  age  of  David  and  Solomon  is  generally  regarded 
as  the  zenith  period  of  the  national  prosperity,  power  and 
literary  glory  of  the  Hebrews.  The  reigns  of  these  two 
princes,  in  some  respects,  present  a  striking  contrast,  and 
yet  both  contributed  greatly  to  social  and  intellectual 
progress  and  national  development.  David  was  the 
greatest  king  of  Israel.  He  conquered  all  their  enemies 
and  extended  his  dominions  from  the  borders  of  Egypt 
to  the  Euphrates,  and  his  turbulent  reign  was  illumined 
with  the  splendors  of  civic  and  military  achievements. 

Solomon  was  a  peaceful  prince,  more  munificent  in  his 
bounties  and  more  successful  in  promoting  national 
prosperity  and  advancement  than  the  brilliant  Pericles  or 
the  wise  and  pacific  Augustus.  He  built  the  Temple,  the 
most  rich  and  gorgeous  structure  ever  erected  by  the 
hands  of  men,  and  he  beautified  Jerusalem  with  public 
works  and  palaces  and  made  it  the  home  of  industry, 
science  and  the  useful  arts,  and  the  centre  of  a  rich  and 
refined  social  and  intellectual  culture  which  attracted  the 
wonder  and  admiration  of  other  nations.  He  sent  the 
messengers  of  commerce  to  bring  wealth,  comfort  and 
luxuries  from  distant  shores  and  the  "Isles  of  the  Gentiles." 
He  exhibited  the  talent  and  skill  of  human  diplomacy  by 
establishing  friendly  relations  with  neighboring  kingdoms, 
and  his  justice  and  wisdom  made  him  an  arbiter  of  nations, 
and  induced  thousands  of  strangers  to  make  their  homes 
in  a  land  blessed  with  his  enlightened  laws  and  beneficent 
institutions.  He  reared  cities  in  the  wilderness,  laid  out 
highways  and  planted  gardens  in  the  desert,  and  gave  his 


125 

people  the  blessings  of  peace.  These  two  reigns  continued 
for  more  than  fifty  years,  and  a  period  so  brilliant  with 
the  triumphs  of  war  and  the  glories  of  peace  must  have 
greatly  stimulated  and  elevated  the  genius  of  a  people 
who  were  constantly  expecting  and  earnestly  longing  for 
a  golden  age  of  national  greatness  and  splendor,  when 
the  promised  Messiah,  as  a  magnificent  prince,  would  estab- 
lish his  ever-enduring  throne  upon  Mount  Zion  and  make 
Jerusalem  the  metropolitan  city  of  all  nations.  Such 
intense  hopes  and  vivid  fancies  were  well  calculated  to 
call  forth  the  loftiest  efforts  of  poetic  genius. 

We  may  well  believe  that  David  and  Solomon  were 
representative  men  of  their  nation,  and  that  their  sublime 
productions  which  have  come  down  to  us  present  but  few 
of  the  many  thoughts  and  emotions  that  gushed  from  the 
glowing  hearts  and  minds  of  their  countrymen  in  the 
richest  language  and  clothed  with  imagery  as  multiform 
as  that  which  nature  furnishes  in  her  glorious  gallery  of 
the  earth,  sea  and  skies. 

We  believe  that  a  poet  is  the  creature  of  his  age,  and 
in  a  great  degree  collects  and  reflects  the  spirit  of  his 
people.  The  circumstances  and  influences  by  which  he  is 
surrounded  are  the  inspirations  of  his  genius.  He  concen- 
trates these  various  intellectual,  moral  and  natural 
influences  and  gives  them  new  forms  of  life,  power  and 
beauty,  just  as  the  lens  of  science  collects  and  concen- 
trates the  diffused  rays  of  light  into  a  more  brilliant  and 
burning  glow.  The  poetic  feelings  of  the  Hebrew  people, 
produced  by  the  causes  to  which  we  have  referred,  were 
the  natural  influences  which  kindled  the  genius  of  David 
when  an  humble  shepherd  boy,  tending  his  fathers  flocks 
in  the  quiet  valleys  of  Bethlehem,  he  tuned  his  simple 
harp  to  immortal  melodies;  and  his  songs  were  elevated 
to  sublimer  strains  when  he  experienced  the  merciful 
providences  of  God,  shielding  him  from  the  relentless 
persecutions  of   Saul   and   guiding   his  pathway  through 


126 

the  vicissitudes  and  dangers  of  his  stormy  life.  Solomon 
was  the  child  of  the  much  loved  Bathsheba,  and  received 
the  constant  care,  instruction  and  fervent  affections  of  his 
noble  and  highly  gifted  father.  He  was  surrounded  by 
the  taste  and  elegance  of  court  life,  and  his  youthful 
genius  was  heightened  and  brightened  by  the  gorgeous 
ceremonies  and  glorious  minstrelsy  and  music  of  the 
tabernacle  service  which  David  had  so  admirably  regu- 
lated. In  this  connection  we  only  speak  of  the  natural 
gifts,  advantages  and  attainments  of  David  and  Solomon. 
They  were  also  prophets  and  inspired  poets,  and  in  their 
writings,  preserved  in  the  Old  Testament,  they  were 
under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  writings  of  the  prophets  who  preceded  the  Cap- 
tivity are  highly  poetical  and  furnish  strong  evidence  of 
the  imaginative  temperament  of  their  people.  Rebellion, 
disunion  and  the  bitterness  of  sectional  and  political 
hatred  had  destroyed  the  unity  of  national  life  and  broken 
down  many  of  the  strong  bulwarks  which  had  so  long 
preserved  the  chosen  people  from  the  demoralizing 
influences  of  the  surrounding  nations,  and  they  had  almost 
forgotten  the  God  and  the  sacred  institutions  of  their 
fathers.  At  this  period  of  degeneracy  the  prophets  were 
sent  as  divine  messengers  to  warn,  instruct  and  guide  the 
people,  and  they  knew  full  well  that  they  could  not  arrest 
the  tides  of  rapid  decline  in  any  other  manner  than  by 
appealing  in  impassioned  and  glowing  eloquence  to  the 
intense  and  fervid  natures  of  their  countrymen.  The 
prophecies  are  grand  national  poems  of  varied  styles  and 
harmonies.  At  one  time  they  are  illumined  with  bright 
pictures  of  the  events  of  the  past  and  the  glorious  hopes 
of  the  future;  then  in  weeping  and  pleading  melodies 
they  speak  to  the  finest  and  most  tender  feelings  of  the 
heart;  and  then  they  utter  strong  denunciations  against 
sin,  error  and  disobedience,  and  then  kindle  and  burn 
with   indignant   and   eloquent   imprecations    against    the 


127 

nations  who  had  oppressed  and  corrupted  Israel.  We 
will  reserve  the  subject  of  the  prophecies  for  more 
extended  consideration  in  a  future  lecture. 

We  will  now  take  a  rapid  glance  at  the  influences  exerted 
by  Hebrew  poetry  upon  the  literatures  and  civilization  of 
subsequent  ages.  We  have  already  spoken  of  the  influence 
of  some  of  the  great  poems  of  classic  antiquity  upon  the 
aesthetic  culture  of  mankind.  They  were  crystalized  and 
made  immortal  by  the  power  of  human  genius,  but  they 
have  operated  upon  only  a  comparatively  small  class  of 
educated  men,  and  their  influences  have  not  permeated 
the  great  mass  of  the  people  of  subsequent  times  and 
aroused  their  noblest  emotions  and  awakened  their  moral 
perceptions  and  intellectual  energies.  Many  of  the  He- 
brew bards  lived  centuries  before  Homer  and  their  great 
poems  are  now  read,  even  at  this  distant  age,  with  the 
highest  pleasure  and  profit  by  millions  who  know  nothing 
of  poetry  as  a  fine  art  and  whose  tastes  have  never  been 
cultivated  by  the  elegancies  of  classic  learning.  These 
poems  gave  an  unyielding  national  cohesiveness  to  the 
Jewe  during  the  post-exillian  period  of  their  history  when 
the  conquests  of  Alexander,  the  desolating  wars  of  his 
successors,  and  the  all-grasping  ambition  of  Rome  were 
continually  changing  the  boundaries  and  destinies  of 
States,  and  making  human  society  a  vast  boiling  and 
bloody  caldron  of  strife  and  revolution. 

The  Septuagint  version  of  these  poems,  through  the 
medium  of  the  elegant  and  cultivated  language  of  Greece, 
transfused  their  influence  into  ancient  learning  and  civiliza- 
tion, and  thus  prepared  the  world  for  those  glorious  realities 
which  they  had  dimly  but  grandly  prefigured.  They 
became  blended  with  the  teachings  and  beauties  of  the 
New  Dispensation  with  as  natural  and  harmonious  an 
affinity  as  the  rudy  and  glowing  light  of  the  morning 
dawn  melts  into  the  effulgence  of  the  rising  sun. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  in  these  lectures  to  refer  even  in  a 


128 

cursory  manner  to  the  New  Testament,  for  I  would  not 
by  a  hasty  sketch  do  injustice  to  such  a  rich  and  extensive 
subject.  I  will  say,  however,  that  it  contains  numerous 
passages  and  scenes  of  exquisite  beauty  and  tender  pathos. 
The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  is  not  only  the  most  perfect 
discourse  ever  uttered,  but  it  is  a  poem  of  incomparable 
beauty,  glowing  with  the  light  of  divine  love,  and  the 
Beatitudes  must  have  some  of  the  heavenly  sweetness  of 
the  songs  which  the  angels  sing.  The  speeches  and 
writings  of  Saint  Paul  in  richness  of  thought,  in  terseness, 
force  and  elegance  of  diction  are  equal  to  the  best  pro- 
ductions of  Athenian  genius;  and  the  sublime  visions  of 
the  Apocalypse  were  painted  with  the  brightest  pencil  of 
poetic  prophecy.  The  New  Testament  develops  the 
spiritual  beauties  of  Hebrew  literature,  just  as  the  sun- 
shine causes  the  diamond  to  gleam  with  a  brilliancy  of 
lustre  that  was  not  visible  in  the  dimness  of  the  twilight. 
The  influence  of  Hebrew  poetry  upon  thehymnology  of 
the  Christian  Church  can  be  distinctly  traced  from  the 
earliest  times.  The  hymn  which  Christ  and  his  Apostles 
sang  at  the  close  of  the  first  Lord's  Supper  was  a  psalm 
which  had  long  been  used  in  the  celebration  of  the  Pass- 
over; and  from  that  hour  on  through  the  ages  psalms  and 
hymns  and  sacred  songs  have  thrilled  the  heart  of  the 
Christian  world,  and  many  of  their  highest  and  richest 
notes  of  praise  were  those  that  once  sounded  to  melody 
wakened  on  the  strings  of  the  old  Hebrew  lyre.  During  the 
Apostolic  age  and  for  more  than  a  century  afterwards  no 
other  songs  were  used  in  public  or  private  devotions  than 
"  Those  strains  that  once  did  sweet  in  Zion  glide," 

and  in  the  churches  they  were  sung  in  the  antiphonal 
style  used  by  Asaph  and  his  choirs  of  Levites  as  in  lofty 
melody  they  responded  from  each  side  of  the  brazen  altar 
of  the  Temple. 

In  after  ages  there   was   a   long   and   eventful  struggle 
between  the  refined   and  elegant  mythology,   philos     )hy 


T29 

and  poetry  of  paganism  and  the  simple  rites  and  doctrines, 
and  the  sublime  literature  of  Christianity  for  supremacy  in 
the  Roman  empire.  Those  were  indeed  times  that  tried 
men's  souls,  and  they  exhibited  a  lofty  courage  and  sublime 
fortitude  that  have  no  parallels  in  the  annals  of  human 
heroism.  As  the  primitive  church  passed  through  the 
terrible  ordeal  of  the  martyr  ages  the  courage  and  endur- 
ance of  Christian  heroes  were  elevated  and  ennobled  by 
memories  of  Israel's  trials  and  triumphs  and  sustained  by 
a  living  faith  in  the  same  Almighty  Being  that  guarded 
the  prophet  with  the  horses  and  chariots  of  fire,  that 
stopped  the  mouths  of  lions,  and  walked  with  His  suffering 
and  persecuted  children  through  the  fierce  furnace  fires  of 
Babylon.  Although  the  Church  was  triumphant  over  the 
principalities  and  powers  of  paganism,  the  brightness  of  its 
celestial  armor  was  tarnished,  it  received  many  scars  in 
the  conflict,  and  departed  far  from  the  purity  of  its  first 
love.  Temporal  success  and  power  brought  pride,  wealth 
and  worldly  ambition  to  the  descendants  of  the  saintly 
fathers  and  heroic  martyrs,  and  caused  them  to  depart 
from  the  simple  rites  and  doctrines  of  patristic  times. 
But  as  the  Church  moved  on  its  troublous  pathway 
through  the  revolutions  of  states  and  empires  into  the 
thickening  gloom  of  the  Middle  Ages  the  old  Hebrew 
Psalter  rang  out,  like  the  notes  of  the  silver  trumpets  of 
the  priests,  leading  and  cheering  the  hosts  of  Israel  in 
their  desert  journey,  and  its  grand  hymns  of  praise 
modulated  to  new  metres  swelled  on  the  notes  of  Cecil- 
ian  organs  through  the  dim  aisles  and  lofty  arches  of 
Gothic  cathedrals  and  minsters,  inspiring  thousands  of 
earnest  and  pious  hearts  with  high  and  rapt  devotion. 

The  mighty  social,  political  and  religious  revolutions 
caused  by  the  Reformation  engendered  strong  feelings  of 
prejudice  and  hatred  against  the  Church  of  Rome,  and 
some  of  the  Reformers,  uninfluenced  by  the  example  and 
teachings  of  Luther,  regarded  as  abominations  even  the 


130 

innocent  beauties  of  its  ceremonial  service,  and  its  elegant 
music  and  many  of  its  sublime  hymns  and  anthems  were 
considered  as  the  pagan  and  unholy  attendants  of  an 
impure  and  idolatrous  worship.  Such  feelings  were  mani- 
fested in  a  high  degree  by  the  Puritans  and  made  them 
hostile  even  to  the  beautiful  and  spiritual  liturgy  of  the 
Reformed  Church  of  England.  The  bold,  stern  and  fanati- 
cal spirit  of  Puritanism  came  over  the  English  Protestant 
Church  like  a  storm-cloud  which  often  comes  over  the 
face  of  nature  when  fierce  with  the  thunder  and  glittering 
with  the  lightning,  fructifying  the  earth  with  fertilizing 
rains,  but  hiding  the  joyous  sunlight  and  hushing  the 
sweet,  soft  voices  that  breathe  their  melodies  in  God's 
grand  earthly  temple.  As  the  storm  accomplishes  impor- 
tant and  beneficent  results  in  the  economy  of  nature  and 
is  followed  by  a  purer  atmosphere,  richer  vegetation  and 
a  brighter  day,  so  the  moral  and  religious  storm  of  Puri- 
tanism, although  it,  for  a  time,  obscured  the  advancing 
light  of  progress,  yet  with  the  red  rain  of  the  blood  of 
patriots  and  martyrs  it  fertilized  the  dwarfed  and  feeble 
plants  of  intellectual  and  religious  freedom  and  caused 
them  to  spring  up  into  more  healthful  and  vigorous  life 
and  bear  fruits  and  leaves  for  the  enjoyment  and  healing  of 
the  nations.  As  the  morning  light  with  freshness  and 
beauty  follows  the  darkness  of  night,  as  the  rainbow 
gleams  upon  the  bosom  of  the  storm,  so  God  is  ever  bring- 
ing light,  beauty  and  hope  out  of  the  confused  councils 
of  men  and  the  revolutions  of  nations.  The  lofty  enthu- 
siasm, passionate  purpose  and  intense  religious  zeal  of 
Puritanism,  darkened  the  earnest  minds  and  hearts  of  the 
Puritan  Fathers  with  bigotry  and  intolerance,  yet  it  gave 
birth  to  a  purer  and  more  spiritual  Christianity  and 
produced  the  grandest  prose  and  poetic  literature  in  our 
language.  What  Christian  can,  without  emotions  of  grati- 
tude and  admiration,  read  the  eloquent  productions  of  the 
old  Puritan  divines,  so   rich  in  thought  and  language  and 


i3i 

so  illumined  with  spiritual  truth.  The  Paradise  Lost  will 
ever  stand  pre-eminently  glorious  in  English  literature; 
and  tear  drops  from  the  eyes  of  youth,  manhood  and 
age  have  fallen  and  will  ever  fall  upon  those  immortal 
pages  on  which  the  Puritan  Bunyan  in  his  prison  cloister 
traced  with  vivid  imagery  and  tender  pathos  the  dangers, 
difficulties,  trials  and  triumphs  of  the  Christian  pilgrimage. 
In  that  age  another  poet  sprang  up  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Puritan  Church,  whose  exquisite  genius  glowed  with  the 
blended  inspiration  of  the  Bards  of  Israel  and  the  sublime 
teachings  of  the  Gospel,  and  he  touched  his  hallowed 
harp  with  lyric  raptures.  Isaac  Watts  is  the  well  recog- 
nized leader  of  the  modern  noble  choir  of  Christian 
minstrels  whose  sacred  songs,  glowing  with  the  spirit  of 
the  psalmists,  prophets  and  apostles,  will  ever  thrill 
through  the  church  on  earth,  waking  higher  and  gladder 
strains  of  melody  until  they  blend  with  the  seraphic 
harmonies  of  the  Church  in^lory. 

We  have  now  concluded  our  hasty  and  imperfect 
enumeration  of  some  of  the  causes  and  influences  which 
operated  most  powerfully  upon  the  Hebrews  in  producing 
their  sublime  and  matchless  poetry.  In  our  succeeding 
lectures  we  will  speak  more  in  detail  of  these  productions 
which  contain  so  many  gems  of  thought  radiant  in  truth 
and  beauty,  and  of  inestimable  value  to  the  literature  of 
the  world. 

Before  concluding  this  lecture  we  deem  it  appropriate 
briefly  to  allude  to  a  prevalent  error  and  prejudice  which 
long  prevented  "Bible  Poetry"  from  exerting  its  full 
and  beneficent  influence  upon  the  aesthetic  culture  of 
mankind.  Since  the  days  of  the  Reformation,  but  espe- 
cially since  the  times  of  Puritanism,  there  have  been 
many  earnest  and  devout  Christians  who  have  regarded 
the  expression  ''Bible  Poetry"  as  profane  and  blasphem- 
ous. In  their  intense  religious  zeal  they  associated  poetry 
with   fiction,   fable   and   worldly  pleasures   and   delights. 


132 

They  regarded  the  Bible  as  too  sacred  and  truthful  to  be 
placed  in  profane  association  with  the  creations  of  human 
fancy.  They  would  not  admit  that  the  Bible  contained 
any  poetry.  They  objected  to  all  the  modern  improve- 
ments in  sacred  music,  and  could  not  listen  with  proper 
composure  to  many  of  the  sweet  and  beautiful  hymns  of 
our  Christian  bards,  which  were  inspired  by  faith  and 
adorned  with  the  beauty  of  holiness.  This  prejudice  may 
exist  to  some  extent  in  this  country  at  the  present  day, 
but  it  is  rapidly  passing  away  before  the  enlightenment  of 
our  civilization  and  the  influence  of  a  pure  and  spiritual 
Christianity,  and  nearly  all  men  of  education,  fine  sus- 
ceptibilities and  cultivated  tastes,  now  regard  the  Bible  as 
not  only  the  inspired  word  of  God,  but  also  as  a  great 
literary  treasure  and  the  repository  of  the  sweetest  and 
sublimest  poetry. 

Nearly  every  one  can  feel  the  influence  of  poetry,  but 
it  is  almost  impossible  to  define  the  meaning  of  the  word. 
The  definitions  contained  in  dictionaries  by  no  means 
embrace  the  entire  signification  of  the  term.  Poetry  is 
derived  from  a  Greek  verb,  meaning  to  create,  and  com- 
prehends within  the  scope  of  the  ideas  conveyed  by  the 
word  anything  in  nature  or  art  that  creates,  arouses  or 
suggests  elevated,  pleasing  or  pathetic  emotions  and 
thoughts.  Thus  we  hear  and  feel  the  poetry  of  music 
when  some  skillful  hand  wakes  the  witchery  of  the  tuneful 
harp,  or  blends  into  harmony  the  low,  soft,  solemn  and 
breathing  melodies  of  the  church  organ.  The  Greeks 
were  accustomed  to  associate  poetry  and  music,  and  in 
their  mythology  these  twin  sisters  of  melody  were 
believed  to  be  under  the  control  of  the  same  divinities; 
and  poets  were  always  represented  as  masters  of  the  lyre. 
We  can  well  believe  that  the  expression  "  prose  poetry" 
is  not  a  verbal  paradox  when  we  read  many  of  the  rich 
rhythmic  and  brilliant  pages  of  history,  philosophy, 
eloquence,  criticism  and  science,  and  feel  our  hearts  thrill 


133 

with  the  sweetest  and  noblest  emotions  as  we  catch  some 
of  the  spirit  and  musical  cadences  of  the  great  word  and 
thought  painters  who  have  illumined  our  prose  literature 
with  the  true  Promethean  fire  of  genius. 

We  often  hear  of  the  "  poetry  of  nature,"  and  every 
one  who  is  susceptible  to  impressions  of  the  grand, 
sublime  and  beautiful  scenes  in  nature,  everywhere  so 
profusely  displayed,  regards  the  expression  as  accurate 
and  appropriate.  Indeed  nature  is  the  true  source  of 
poetry,  and  any  composition  which  is  not  in  accordance 
with  her  principles  and  laws  will  not  command  lasting 
admiration,  although  the  language  may  be  glowing  and 
rhythmical.  In  classic  metaphor  nature  is  called  the 
Parnassus  of  poetry,  and  she  has  numerous  fountains  of 
inspiration  which  gush  with  perennial  waters,  of  which 
the  poet  who  drinks  deeply  becomes  immortal. 

We  feel  that  it  is  not  irreverent  to  speak  of  the 
"  poetry  of  religion."  Aspirations  after  holiness,  heaven 
and  God  fill  the  heart  with  sweet  emotions  and  the  mind 
with  lofty  thoughts  which  ever  struggle  to  express  them- 
selves in  prayer  or  the  joyous  voice  of  song.  The 
feelings  of  David  when  he  wrote  "As  the  heart  panteth ; 
after  the  water  brooks  so  panteth  my  soul  after  Thee,  O, 
God,"  was  the  keynote  of  his  rapturous  and  glorious 
minstrelsy.  These  earnest  religious  aspirations  not  only 
tuned  the  harps  of  Psalmists,  Prophets  and  Christian 
minstrels,  but  they  have  filled  millions  of  human  hearts 
with  melody  and  poetry  which  were  never  uttered  or 
written  in  song  or  poem,  but  were  breathed  in  silent 
ascriptions  of  thanksgiving  and  praise,  which  were  heard 
in  heaven  and  sounded  on  the  rejoicing  harps  of  the 
angels.  Poetry,  in  a  general  sense,  is  the  spirit  of  the 
true,  the  beautiful,  the  good,  the  sublime  and  the  holy. 
In  a  more  confined  and  technical  sense  it  is  the  expression 
of  that  spirit  by  means  of  metrical  and  musical  language. 
We  will  not  endeavor  to  give  a  more  accurate  and   com- 


134 

prehensive  definition.  We  might  as  well  attempt  to 
hold  the  winds  in  the  hollow  of  our  hands,  or  imprison 
the  sunlight  that  in  glittering  freedom  sports  over  the 
landscape.  Poetry  is  a  kind  of  anima  mundi  that  pervades 
the  universe  and  produces  a  sublime  and  beautiful  harmony 
in  the  natural  creation,  and  between  the  ideal  and  the  real. 

God  has  revealed  Himself  to  man  both  in  His  works 
and  in  His  word.  If  in  the  wide  domain  of  nature — 
man's  earthly  and  temporary  dwelling — the  revelations 
of  God  in  His  works  are  to  our  natural  senses  so  full  of 
richness, elegance, beauty,  sublimity  and  magnificence;  so 
complete  in  order,  symmetry  and  harmony,  and  so  vocal 
with  melodies,  can  we  be  surprised  that  the  revelations 
which  He  has  made  in  His  word  to  our  spiritual  percep- 
tions and  our  moral  natures,  which  are  in  His  image, 
should  be  radiant  and  musical  with  some  of  the  celestial 
light,  melody  and  glory  of  the  eternal  home. 

A  true  test  of  the  excellency  of  poetry  is  the  influence 
which  it  exerts  upon  mankind.  It  is  said  that  a  well 
tuned  harp-string  untouched  by  mortal  finger  will  vibrate 
in  harmony  to  accordant  notes  made  on  another  musical 
instrument.  Thus  poetic  feeling  may  lie  deep  and  silent 
in  the  heart  but  it  utters  its  sweetest  voice  when  awakened 
by  some  strain  struck  in  unison  on  the  lyre  by  the  skilful 
hand  of  genius.  This  is  the  mystic  power  of  Hebrew 
poetry.  It  is  in  unison  with  the  finest  and  purest  emotions 
of  the  human  heart  and  will  awake  in  the  soul  responsive 
harmonies. 

Our  intellectual  faculties  and  cultivated  tastes  may  be 
charmed  with  the  musical  flow  and  sublime  imagery  of 
Bible  poetry,  but  we  cannot  realize  its  purest  beauties,  its 
sweetest  harmonies,  and  its  most  tender  pathos  unless 
we  are  inspired  with  a  faith  that  makes  us  hear  the 
whisperings  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  even  as  the  Hebrew  bards 
heard  the  voice  of  God  in  the  rapt  moments  of  inspiration. 


LECTURE   XI. 


The   Pentateuch.    The   Books  of  Ruth,   Esther 

and  Job. 


A  traveler  of  culture  and  imagination  as  he  stands 
amidst  the  ruins  of  Egyptian  Thebes  and  surveys  the 
majestic  memorials  that  rest  upon  the  grave  of  a  dead 
empire  is  deeply  impressed  with  the  solemn  gradeur  of 
the  scene. 

The  brilliant  light  of  that  cloudless  clime  gleams  upon 
the  wrecks  and  relics  of  time,  the  wondrous  Nile  moves 
its  volume  of  waters  through  its  fertile  valley  from  the 
mountains  to  the  sea,  and  the  tall  regal  palms  as  they 
wave  their  plumed  heads  to  the  breezes,  all  present  scenes 
of  life  and  beauty;  but  still  the  beholder  feels  that  he  is 
surrounded  by  the  gloomy  shadows  of  death.  He  is 
impressed  with  a  solemn  presence — the  adumbration  of  a 
mightier  power  than  time — which  has  been  working  the 
grand  changes  and  revolutions  of  human  destiny.  Around 
him  on  every  side  are  the  evidences  of  a  once  wealthy, 
enlightened  and  powerful  people,  but  no  historic  voice 
tells  him  of  the  times  when  were  reared  those  once  splendid 
shrines  of  devotion  and  costly  palaces  of  ambition  and 
pride.  There  are  records  written  on  the  monuments  and 
tombs  of  the  buried  race,  but  they  are  as  yet  almost  as 
voiceless  to  mankind  as  the  sphinx  of  the  desert.  Imagina- 
tion, with  eager  restlessness  soars  into  the  darkness  and 
mysteries  of  the  regions  of  the  silent  past  but  brings 
back  no  light  upon  its  wings.  Much  of  the  history  of  Old 
Egypt  is  covered  with  the  deluge  of  oblivion,  which  is 
more    impenetrable   to   human    efforts   than     the   chilled 


136 

waters  and  icy  ramparts  that  surround  and  guard  the  poles. 

There  is  an  antiquity  more  remote  than  that  of  Old 
Egypt,  and  it  has  a  history  that  is  radiant  with  holy  and 
living  light  that  speaks  with  eloquent  voices  to  the 
human  heart,  throws  open  an  invaluable  treasury  of  truth, 
and  spreads  out  fields  of  richness  and  enchanting  beauty 
for  instructive,  speculative  and  poetic  thought. 

The  preservation  of  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament 
is  indeed  a  wondrous  miracle.  They  have  not  only  survived 
the  wrecks  and  ruins  of  time,  but  they  have  passed 
unharmed  through  the  fierce  furnace  fires  of  human 
passion,  strife  and  persecution.  Every  one  who,  with 
calm  and  unbiased  mind,  will  trace  the  history  of  the  Old 
Testament — as  a  book — must  be  satisfied  that  it  is 
endowed  with  divine  immortality;  and  when  he  reads  and 
devoutly  considers  its  sublime  and  holy  teachings  and 
its  rich  language,  his  heart  will  feel  a  blessed  inspiration 
and  in  humility  and  reverence  he  will  say,  this  is  certainly 
the  word  of  God. 

We  will  not  enter  upon  the  extensive  field  of  Biblical 
criticism  and  exposition  to  consider  the  question  as  to 
the  extent  of  the  inspiration  of  the  writers  of  the  Old 
Testament  as  we  have  not  the  qualifications  to  discuss 
the  subject  in  the  various  phases  in  which  it  has  been 
presented.  We  will  not  attempt  to  distinguish  between 
those  portions  which  were  originated  by  inspiration  and 
those  that  were  communicated  as  revelations.  We  have 
the  highest  authority  for  believing  that  "  All  Scripture  is 
given  by  inspiration  of  God,"  and  that  the  authors  "  spoke 
as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit."  The  authors 
themselves  often  declared  that  they  spoke  and  wrote 
under  such  divine  influence.  We  have  no  direct  informa- 
tion as  to  the  manner  in  which  this  divine  influence  operated 
generally  upon  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  authors. 
We  fully  believe  that  the  Old  Testament  is  the  word  of 
God   and  that  the  truths,  thoughts  and   facts  which  it 


137 

contains  were  divinely  inspired,  revealed  or  controlled 
with  absolute  certitude,  and  that  the  language  used  in 
giving  them  expression  was  directly  communicated,  influ- 
enced or  sanctioned  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Inspiration  did 
not  deprive  the  authors  of  all  individual  consciousness, 
or  of  their  peculiar  modes  of  thought  and  expression, 
but  kept  them  from  all  error  while  speaking  and  writing 
under  its  influence.  Inspiration  illumined  their  minds 
with  infallible  light  and  controlled  their  genius  while 
they  drew  appropriate  and  forcible  illustrations  of  divine 
truths  from  the  events  of  the  past  and  present,  and  when 
they  referred  to  the  manners  and  customs  of  their  times, 
and  to  their  vivid  perceptions  of  the  objects  of  the  natural 
world.  They  were  inspired  and  at  the  same  time  many 
of  them  had  genius  of  the  highest  order.  They  were 
like  the  planets  of  the  solar  system,  differing  from  each 
other  in  magnitude  and  glory,  and  yet  constituting  one 
harmonious  system,  revolving  round  and  receiving  light 
from  the  same  great  central  orb. 

The  books  of  the  Old  Testament,  in  their  diversity  of 
language  and  imagery,  yet  oneness  of  purpose,  may  well 
be  compared  to  the  rainbow.  This  beautiful  object  in 
nature  is  "A  bow  or  arch  of  a  circle  consisting  of  all  the 
colors  formed  by  the  refraction  and  reflection  of  rays  of 
light  from  drops  of  rain  or  vapor  appearing  in  the  part  of 
the  hemisphere  opposite  to  the  sun."  The  brilliant  sun- 
beams flash  in  golden  beauty  from  the  same  source  of 
light,  and  on  the  curtain  of  the  storm-cloud  paint  in 
various,  distinct  and  nicely  blending  colors,  the  bow  of 
God — the  sign  of  His  ever-enduring  covenant  of  mercy 
to  man.  Thus  the  light  of  inspiration,  which  shone  upon 
the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  Hebrew  bards,  proceeded  from 
the  same  source,  and  was  refracted,  reflected  and  separated 
into  different  styles  of  composition  by  the  media  through 
which  it  passed,  and  was  blended  into  a  harmonious  unity 


138 

glowing-  with   the   rich  and  precious  truths  and   promises 
of  God. 

The  profound  and  elevated  teachings  of  the  Old 
Testament  were  primarily  intended  for  the  instruction 
and  guidance  of  the  Hebrews,  and  within  themselves 
furnish  strong  evidence  that  the  Hebrews  were  an  intel- 
lectual and  highly  imaginative  people.  For  we  must 
suppose  that  the  knowledge,  thought  and  language  used 
were  best  suited  for  the  purposes  to  be  accomplished,  and 
were  in  accordance  with  the  aesthetic  tastes  and  the 
mental  and  moral  capacities  and  susceptibilities  of  the 
people.  God  has  done  nothings  imperfectly,  and  in  the 
wide  realms  of  nature  all  created  things,  from  the  smallest 
to  the  greatest,  are  remarkably  adapted  to  the  purposes 
of  their  creation,  and  can  we  reasonably  suppose  that  this 
arrangement  of  order,  harmony,  beauty  and  perfection 
was  departed  from  in  His  revealed  word,  intended  for  the 
advancement  of  the  high  mental  and  moral  nature  of  man, 
in  which  he  is  most  like  God. 

Our  purpose  in  these  lectures  is  to  speak  principally  of 
the  Old  Testament  as  the  repository  of  the  poetry  and 
literature  of  the  ancient  Hebrews.  Of  course  we  cannot 
consider  it  entirely  apart  from  its  divine  inspiration.  We 
might  as  well  speak  of  the  beauties  of  the  human  face 
without  alluding  to  the  soul-light  that  beams  from  the 
eye  in  eloquent  radiance. 

We  propose  to  examine  this  remarkable  book  by  a  human 
standard  of  excellence,  just  as  a  poet  and  astronomer  often 
regard  the  brilliant,  life-giving  warmth  and  manifold 
influences  of  the  sun  in  the  wide  realms  of  nature,  without 
specially  referring  to  the  omnipotence  and  goodness  of 
Him  who  placed  it  in  the  heavens  and  invested  it  with 
beneficent  influences  and  controlling  power. 

The  Old  Testament,  viewed  as  a  human  composition, 
possesses  more  profound  wisdom  for  the  guidance  of 
human  action,    more    instructive  and  interesting  history, 


139 

and  more  beautiful  and  sublime  poetry,  than  all  the  books 
of  ancient  or  modern  times.  We  will  not  enter  into  the 
wide  fields  which  it  presents  for  human  thought  and 
investigation,  but  we.  will  confine  our  attention  to  those 
portions  which  especially  contain  .poetic  thought  and 
imagery.  And  first  comes  the  Pentateuch,  venerable  for 
antiquity,  profound  in  wisdom  and  brilliant  with  the  gems 
of  genius.  It  was  written  by  a  wonderful  man.  By 
nature  he  was  endowed  with  lofty  heroism,  exalted 
intellect  and  genius,  and  with  all  those  elevated  and  noble 
virtues  which  make  men  truly  great.  Forty  years  of  his 
life  were  spent  at  the  court  of  the  most  highly  civilized 
people  of  that  age,  and  he  was  instructed  in  all  their 
learning  and  wisdom.  Forty  years  he  spent  in  pastoral 
occupations  amidst  the  sublime  scenery  of  a  mountain 
wilderness,  often  holding  spiritual  communion  with 
Jehovah,  and  devoutly  contemplating  the  wild  grandeur 
of  nature.  He  also  had  frequent  association  with  the 
old  Arabian  Emirs,  who  breathed  the  spirit  of  liberty, 
and  were  instructed  by  the  experiences  and  long  accumu- 
lated wisdom  of  their  patriarchal  ancestors,  and  were 
familiar  with  the  poetic  legends  and  traditions  of  pre- 
historic ages. 

Most  of  the  language  of  the  Pentateuch  is  prosaic  in 
form,  but  still  it  presents  events  and  scenes  which  arouse 
the  highest  poetic  emotions.  It  is  a  noble  prose  epic 
How  grandly  it  looms  up  amidst  the  shadows  of  distant 
centuries,  revealing  the  earliest  history  and  institutions  of 
mankind,  and  gleaming,  as  did  Sinai  of  old,  with  the  glory 
of  God.  If  the  Pentateuch  and  its  manifold  influences  had 
never  existed  how  different  would  be  the  condition  of 
Christendom  in  its  knowledge  in  history,  its  culture  inlitera- 
ture,  its  wisdom  in  civil  government  and  its  social  and 
individual  enlightenment,  prosperity  and  happiness.  It  is 
the  deep-laid  foundation  of  that  structure  of  which  Christ 
is  the  chief  corner  stone,  and  which,  in  the  course  of  centuries. 


140 

has  been  reared  into  the  grand  temple  of  Christian  civiliza- 
tion. It  hasnot  onlycontrolled  many  of  the  leading  events 
of  history  and  the  civil  and  religious  institutions  of  mankind, 
but  its  thoughts,  language  and  imagery  have  been  inwrought 
like  golden  threads  in  the  warp  and  woof  of  society,  and 
it  furnishes  many  of  the  cherished  and  familiar  household 
words  of  all  classes  of  men  in  Christian  communities. 
The  old  and  the  young,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  priest  and 
layman,  peasant  and  king,  orators,  poets,  historians, 
jurists,  statesmen  and  philosophers  all  obtain  treasures  of 
thought  and  language  from  this  inexhaustible  repository 
of  human  and  divine  wisdom.  Its  poetic  elements  are 
interspersed  through  all  of  its  books,  and  its  melodies 
are  rich  and  varied  like  those  of  the  grand  orchestra  of 
nature  that  ranges  over  every  musical  note,  from  the 
deep-toned  bass  of  the  ocean  and  the  thunder  to  the 
soft,  sweet  treble  strains  of  the  singing  birds. 

I  feel  that  my  reference  to  the  poetry  of  the  Pentateuch 
would  be  very  incomplete  without  calling  your  special 
attention  to  the  closing  chapters  of  Deuteronomy,  the  last 
utterance  of  the  peculiarly  favored  friend  of  God,  and  the 
grandest  poet  and  statesman  of  Israel .  They  are  considered 
by  most  Biblical  scholars  as  the  finest  specimens  of  Hebrew 
poetry.  The  circumstances  under  which  they  were  written 
and  delivered  were  grandly  sublime  and  imposing.  Moses 
had  been  divinely  informed  that,  on  account  of  his  sinful 
conduct  and  inconsiderate  words  at  Meribah,  he  would 
not  be  allowed  to  enter  the  Promised  Land.  He  knew 
that  his  end  was  near,  and,  with  all  the  tender  fondness 
of  a  loving  father,  he  was  anxious  to  secure  the  future 
welfare  of  his  erring  people.  By  divine  direction  he  had 
chosen  Joshua  as  his  successor,  and  he  was  about  to 
deliver  his  parting  blessings  and  his  earnest  and  eloquent 
warnings  and  entreaties  to  the  nation  which  he  had 
organized  and  long  watched  with  jealous  care.  "His  eye 
was  not  dim  nor  his  natural  force  abated;"  and  his  wisdom 


141 

and  genius  were  enlarged  and  elevated  by  the  experiences 
of  more  than  a  century  of  years,  and  illumined  by  vivid 
prophetic  visions  of  coming  glories.  As  the  servant  of 
Jehovah  he  had  delivered  His  people  from  the  house  of 
bondage;  he  had  passed  with  them  through  the  deep 
caverns  of  the  obedient  sea;  he  had  stood  alone  in  the 
inner  audience  chamber  of  awful  Sinai  and  talked  "  face 
to  face"  with  his  Sovereign  Lord;  he  had  conducted  His 
people  through  the  various  scenes,  dangers  and  difficulties 
of  their  long  desert  pilgrimage,  and  had  given  them 
beneficent  laws,  a  magnificent  religious  ritual  and  free 
institutions.  Nearly  all  the  associates  of  his  earlier  years 
had  died  in  the  eventful  journey.  The  voices  of  the  wise 
elders  and  counselors  whom  he  had  first  chosen  were 
silent;  Miriam,  his  much  loved  and  gifted  sister,  had  been 
buried  at  Kadesh;  and  Aaron,  who  had  been  his  eloquent 
spokesman,  slept  in  a  lonely  grave  amidst  the  solitudes  of 
Mt.  Hor.  Young  and  vigorous  Israel  were  about  to  pass 
over  Jordan  and  possess  the  "goodly  land"  which  he 
would  never  enter,  but  which  he  would  soon  see  in  his 
last  earthly  beatific  vision,  and  then  God  and  the  angels 
would  place  him  in  that  mountain  sepulchre  which  was 
forever  to  remain  unknown.  There  his  body  sleeps,  and 
the  winds  and  storms  of  the  ages  have  ever  sang  his 
requiem,  and  the  sentinel  sun  and  stars,  in  ceaseless 
march,  have  watched  and  guarded  the  ashes  of  the  mighty 
dead. 

As  Moses  thus  stood  in  holy  contemplation  before  the 
veil  of  the  tabernacle,  and  surveyed  the  white  tents  of 
his  beloved  Israel,  extending  far  over  the  plains  of  Moab, 
"  as  gardens  by  the  river's  side,"  and  while  his  memory 
was  glowing  with  the  vivid  recollections  of  the  eventful 
past,  and  while  his  clear  eye  of  prophecy  was  resting  on 
visions  of  mingled  gloom  and  glory  in  the  future,  is  it  to 
be  wondered  that  his  elevated  and  inspired  genius  and 
noble  heart  should  have  conceived   grand  and  glorious 


142 

poetic  thoughts  which  he    uttered  in    language  of  tearful 
pathos,  rhythmic  beauty  and  lofty  sublimity. 

For  four  hundred  and  fifty  years — with  the  exception 
of  the  book  of  Job — the  Pentateuch  constituted  the  only 
literature  of  the  Hebrews  of  which  we  have  any  definite 
knowledge.  In  every  period  of  their  history  it  was 
regarded  with  the  highest  veneration.  It  was  the  book 
of  the  sacred  covenant — the  law  and  constitution  of  their 
nation.  Its  teachings  directed  their  public  worship  and 
private  devotion,  it  regulated  all  civil  affairs  and  social 
and  domestic  relations,  and  was  the  subject  of  constant 
study  and  devout  meditation.  We  may  well  conceive 
that  a  people  so  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  elevated 
sentiments  and  language  of  their  great  law-giver,  historian 
and  poet  must  have  been  animated  in  a  high  degree  with 
his  lofty  spirit  and  sublime  genius. 

To  show  the  inuflence  of  the  genius  and  writings  of 
Moses  in  transforming  the  character  of  his  people,  we 
will  briefly  refer  to  their  early  history.  A  few  families  of 
shepherds-and  husbandmen — all  the  descendants  of  Jacob- 
went  down  to  the  land  of  Goshen.  The  enervating 
climate  and  the  corrupt  civilization  of  Egypt,  and  hard 
bondage,  made  the  descendants  of  the  free  and  noble  old 
patriarchs  a  degenerate  and  servile  people.  They  had 
lost  their  nomadic  liberty,  and  were  not  yet  animated 
with  the  higher  spirit  of  freedom,  inspired  by  national 
unity  and  independence.  The  eloquence  of  Aaron,  the 
poetic  earnestness  of  Miriam,  and  the  God-like  wisdom 
and  power  of  Moses,  manifested  by  wondrous  miracles, 
were  all  required  to  make  them  fly  even  from  the  house 
of  cruel  bondage.  Like  a  timid  herd  of  slaves,  they 
stood  trembling  with  fear  on  the  shore  of  the  sea,  when 
they  heard  the  noise  of  the  chariot  wheels  and  the 
advancing  march  of  Pharaoh's  hosts.  When,  by  a  won- 
derful deliverance,  they  reached  in  safety  the  other  shore 
they  sang  the  pean  of  a  victory  which   their  courage  had 


143 

not  won.  When  they  had  encountered  the  wild  sons  of 
Amalek  the  valor  and  example  of  Joshua  was  not  sufficient 
to  urge  them  on  to  battle  for  self  preservation  until  the 
uplifted  hands  of  Moses,  as  he  invoked  divine  aid,  nerved 
their  hearts,  which  had  quailed  under  a  slight  disaster. 
When  the  bondage  of  Egypt  and  the  hardships  and 
privations  of  the  wilderness  were  behind  them,  and  before 
them  was  the  Promised  Land,  consecrated  by  the  graves 
and  memories  of  their  forefathers,  flowing  with  milk  and 
honey,  rich  in  pastures  and  olive  groves,  and  abounding 
with  perennial  streams  and  the  purple  clusters  of  the 
vines  of  Eshcol,  they  listened  to  the  timid  spies  and 
shrank  from  a  conflict  with  the  giant  sons  of  Anak, 
although  Jehovah  had  led  them  so  far  through  every 
danger  and  difficulty,  and  had  so  frequently  manifested 
His  beneficence  and  wondrous  power.  All  of  the  servile 
and  degenerate  Hebrews  perished  in  the  wilderness,  but 
the  teachings  of  Moses  and  the  stern  discipline  of  a  long 
desert  pilgrimage  infused  into  their  descendants  the  spirit 
of  freedom  and  the  vigor  of  a  new  national  life,  and  made 
a  nation  of  conquering  heroes.  They  crossed  the  Jordan 
and  for  seven  years  were  victorious,  and  with  strong  hand 
recovered  the  land  of  their  ancestors.  Then,  under  the 
influence  of  their  civil  and  religious  institutions,  they 
became  an  agricultural  and  pastoral  people,  unaggressive 
and  pacific,  but  strong  in  defensive  valor.  They  developed 
the  force  and  beauty  of  the  domestic  and  social  virtues 
and  the  principles  of  individual  and  national  freedom,  and 
surrounded  and  commingled  everything  with  their  elevated 
religious  faith. 

The  other  historical  books  of  the  Old  Testament 
furnish  a  brief  and  meagre  outline  of  the  history  of  the 
Hebrews  during  the  time  of  the  commonwealth,  the 
kings,  the  captivity  and  the  restoration.  They  are  written 
principally  in  simple  prose,  but  as  they  furnish  a  narrative 
of  great    and    interesting    events   they   often   glow   with 


144 

fervid  eloquence,  and  sometimes  swell  into  the  highest 
strains  of  poetry;  and  then,  in  simple  and  tender  pathos, 
they  picture  scenes  of  pastoral  and  domestic  contentment 
and  repose  that  gleam  like  sunshine  amidst  the  shadows 
of  a  rich  and  varied  landscape. 

The  Hebrews,  during  the  commonwealth,  were  some- 
times conquered,  and  their  spirit  of  freedom  temporarily 
subdued,  but  during  that  period  they  enjoyed  long  intervals 
of  peace,  prosperity  and  happiness  and  they  were  a 
brave  and  imperial  race,  and  in  moral  and  intellectual 
culture  and  social  advancement  were  far  ahead  of  other 
contemporary  nations.  Their  subjugation  was  always  a 
judgment  of  Jehovah  for  their  sins  and  rebellion  against 
the  government  which  He  had  formed.  When  they 
returned  to  their  sacred  allegiance  their  spirit  of  freedom 
was  revived  and  they  were  invested  with  irresistible 
strength  and  indomitable  courage. 

We  will  refer  to  one  incident  in  the  history  of  the 
commonwealth  which  shows  the  poetical  susceptibility  of 
the  Hebrews. 

They  were  subjugated  by  Jahin,  king  of  Canaan,  and 
his  tyranny  and  power  for  a  time  subdued  their  spirit  and 
they  manifested  but  little  disposition  to 

"Strike  for  their  altars  and  their  fires, 
For  God  and  their  native  land." 

But  the  poetic  voice  of  Deborah,  from  beneath  her 
palm  tree  dwelling,  sounded  like  a  slogan  to  the  listless 
tribes  and  rallied  them  into  an  army  of  brave  and  stal- 
wart warriors,  who  rested  not  until  they  had  won  victory 
and  freedom.  The  triumphal  ode  of  Deborah  is  one  of 
the  grandest  peans  that  ever  rang  in  the  ears  of  con- 
querors. She  was  well  named  "  A  Mother  in  Israel,"  as 
she  knew  how  to  rouse  and  nerve  the  hearts  of  her  people 
to  accomplish  great  and  glorious  deeds. 

We  will  not  speak  of  the  achievements  of  Gideon, 
Jephthah  and  Manoah's  wondrous  son,  or  refer  specially  to 


145 

the  military  exploits  of  that  heroic  age,  briefly  but 
graphically  described  in  the  Old  Testament.  We  love 
not  the  poetry  of  battle  and  carnage,  as  it  tells  of  human 
passions  and  strifes,  of  sufferings  and  sorrows.  To  us  the 
martial  notes  of  the  trumpet  and  drum  have  no  pleasing 
music,  while  we  rejoice  in  the  melody  of  "  flutes  and  soft 
recorders  "  that  breathe  with  the  harmonies  of  pastoral 
and  domestic  joys,  and  our  spirit  is  calmed  into  reverence 
and  rapt  devotion  by  the  sweet,  soft  voice  of  sacred  song. 

It  is  pleasant  to  leave  the  poetry  of  the  battle  field  and 
contemplate  a  book  that  is  full  of  the  gentle  and  tender 
pathos  of  human  life  and  pure  affection. 

The  book  of  Ruth  is  called,  even  by  the  mocking  and 
scoffing  Voltaire,  "  a  gem  of  oriental  history."  It  was 
the  production  of  Samuel,  the  last  of  the  Judges  of  Israel, 
and  one  of  the  purest,  wisest  and  best  men  who  adorn  the 
records  of  the  chosen  people.  His  infant  heart  and  mind 
were  inspired  by  the  pious  teachings  of  the  poetic  and  saintly 
Hannah.  As  a  child  prophet  he  talked  with  Jehovah, 
and  his  youthful  imagination  was  illumined  and  beautified 
by  the  splendid  ceremonial  services  of  the  tabernacle  at 
Shiloh. 

The  book  of  Ruth  is  one  of  the  sweetest  poems 
that  ever  was  written.  In  the  sacred  canon  it  is  placed 
between  the  narratives  of  the  wars  of  the  Judges  and  of 
the  bloody  and  wicked  period  of  the  Kings.  It  is  like  a 
little  star  gleaming  in  quiet  and  silvery  beauty  between 
two  storm  clouds  fierce  with  the  thunder  and  gleaming 
with  the  lightning,  or  it  may  be  compared  to  a  soldier's 
song  of  home,  heard  by  the  bivouac  fire  in  the  solemn 
night,  while  he  rests  from  a  day  of  carnage,  and  dreams 
not  of  a  yet  more  dreadful  morrow.  The  incidents  in  this 
book  occurred  long  before  they  were  recorded,  and  existed 
as  a  legend  in  the  homes  of  Palestine,  and  must  have 
cheered  and  delighted  the  women  of  Israel  when  recited 
in   social   and   domestic   intercourse    or   on   occasions  of 


146 

festivity  and  joy.  The  story  is  a  pleasing  and  pathetic 
idyl,  and  presents  many  lovely  scenes  of  oriental  primitive 
life.  In  it  three  charming  characters  are  exquisitely 
delineated.  We  see  Naomi  driven  by  famine  into  the 
idolatrous  country  of  Moab  where  she  lost  her  husband, 
fortune  and  children.  Her  dark  misfortunes  of  poverty 
and  bereavement  were  lightened  and  brightened  by. calm 
resignation,  and  she  poured  all  the  wealth  of  her  affections 
upon  her  gentle  and  devoted  daughter-in-law.  In  Boaz 
we  see  a  noble  type  of  warm-hearted  and  generous 
manhood,  ever  ready  to  succor  the  weak,  poor  and  sorrow- 
ing with  the  kindest  courtesies  and  open-handed  charity. 
With  what  tender  sympathy  and  admiration  do  we 
contemplate  the  young,  modest,  trustful  and  beautiful 
Ruth  leaving  her  kindred  and  country  from  a  strong  sense 
of  filial  duty,  and  that  she  might  dwell  beneath  the 
sheltering  wings  of  the  Lord  God  of  Israel.  The  scene 
between  Naomi  and  her  two  daughters-in-law — as  old, 
poor  and  bereaved,  she  was  on  her  way  to  return  to  the 
land  of  Judah,  friendless  and. alone — is  full  of  simple  and 
exquisite  beauty,  and  excels  in  pathetic  tenderness  and 
loving  devotion  the  immortal  scene  of  the  parting  of 
Hector  and  Andromache  at  the  Scaean  gate  when  the 
peerless  Trojan  hero  went  forth  to  battle  for  the  freedom 
and  safety  of  his  kindred  and  country. 

How  instructing  and  encouraging  are  the  simple 
recitals  of  Ruth's  trials  and  "rich  recompense  of  reward." 
The  whole  book  is  full  and  overflowing  with  poetry,  and 
wakes  the  sweetest  emotions  in  every  heart  that  loves 
the  gentle,  tender  and  beautiful,  and  appreciates  the  joy 
and  bliss  of  home.  It  may  well  be  compared  to  a  little 
fountain  in  a  sequestered  dell,  surrounded  with  verdure 
and  overhung  with  festooned  leaves  and  flowers,  and  with 
gentle  music  ever  pouring  forth  its  pure,  sweet  and  refresh- 
ing waters.  The  life  history  of  every  pure  and  holy  woman 
is  a  beautiful  poem.     It   may  never  be   written  on  earth, 


H7 

but  its  sweetness  will  linger  long  in  many  loving  hearts, 
and  it  will  surely  find  its  way  to  heaven  and  be  recorded 
in  the  "  Book  of  Life." 

The  Book  of  Esther  is  usually  associated  in  the  mind 
of  Bible  readers  with  the  Book  of  Ruth,  as  both  contain 
histories  of  women  whose  names  have  given  titles  to 
books  in  the  sacred  canon.  The  book  has  always  been 
highly  esteemed  by  the  Jews;  and  although  it  does  not 
contain  the  name  of  God,  they  included  it  in  the  sacred 
canon  as  an  important  part  of  their  history,  in  showing  the 
providential  dealings  of  God  with  their  nation.  I  shall 
not  refer  to  the  various  opinions  which  have  been  enter- 
tained by  Biblical  critics  and  expositors  as  to  the  claims 
of  canonicity  the  author  and  the  age  when  this  book 
was  written,  as  such  questions  are  foreign  to  the  purposes 
of  my  lectures.  I  only  refer  to  it  as  evidence  of  a  fact 
which  I  will  hereafter  more  fully  consider — that  the  spirit 
of  Hebrew  poetry  became  extinct  soon  after  the  Captivity. 
This  book  does  not  contain  a  single  rhythmic  line  or  poetic 
sentiment.  It  was  evidently  written  by  a  Jew  of  post- 
exilian  times,  who  had  none  of  the  poetic  spirit  of  his 
ancestors.  If  the  old  poetic  spirit  had  existed  among  the 
people  the  incidents  recorded  were  well  calculated  to 
call  forth  the  finest  poetic  sentiment  and  language. 
Esther  was  a  remarkably  beautiful  and  accomplished 
woman.  She  was  elevated  from  a  subject  race  to  the 
throne  of  an  empire  which  extended  from  the  Indus 
to  Ethiopia  and  contained  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
provinces;  and  her  court  blazed  with  all  the  splendors  of 
oriental  wealth  and  magnificence;  and  more  than  all,  her 
exalted  heroism  and  patriotism  must  have  filled  the 
hearts  of  her  rescued  people  with  devoted  love,  high 
admiration  and  the  intense  feelings  of  national  pride, 
thankfulness  and  joy.  These  feelings  must  have  existed, 
but  the  people  had  lost  the  spirit  which  glowed  in  the 
heart  of  Moses,  sounded  from  the  timbrels  of  Miriam,  and 


148 

thrilled  with  melody  David's  harp  and  Isaiah's  lyre.  The 
subsequent  history  of  Esther  is  unknown.  She  has  a 
place  in  the  Bible,  but  her  name  is  not  interwoven  in  the 
garlands  of  immortal  song.  What  a  striking  contrast  is 
presented  in  the  history  of  Ruth,  who  lived  in  the  pastoral 
and  poetic  age.  She,  too,  was  beautiful,  but  her  beauty 
was  of  that  simple  and  spiritual  type  that  nestles  with 
love  in  the  inmost  heart  and  breathes  celestial  harmonies. 
She  was  poor  and  an  alien  among  an  exclusive  and 
clannish  people,  intensely  proud  of  their  lineage.  And 
yet  her  life-history  is  the  sweetest  and  tenderest  idyl  in 
the  world's  literature — from  her  sprang  the  royal  and 
sacred  line  of  David,  and  her  name  is  enrolled  in  the 
immortal  lineage  of  the  Prince  of  Peace. 

The  Book  of  Job  is  the  most  wonderful  production  in 
literature.  Written  in  the  wilderness,  far  back  in  the 
deep  solitudes  of  time,  it  still  remains  unique  and  solitary 
in  the  world  of  letters.  For  more  than  thirty-five 
centuries  it  has  stood  in  archaic  majesty,  like  the  pyramids 
in  the  silence  and  solitude  of  the  desert,  but  ever  gleaming 
with  sunlight  or  with  the  splendors  of  unclouded  night. 
This  book  is  without  a  parallel  in  human  literature,  it  is 
unimitated  and  inimitable.  It  is  more  than  a  parable  or 
an  allegory.  It  is  a  glowing  history,  a  grand,  inspired 
epic,  intended  to  "  vindicate  the  ways  of  God  to  man." 
The  genius  of  the  writer  was  not  trammeled  by  ritualistic 
institutions,  or  artificial  rules  of  composition,  or  by  the 
manners  and  customs  and  prejudices  of  any  particular 
form  of  national  life.  He  was  as  free  in  thought  as  the 
air  of  his  wild  mountain  home,  and  he  breathed  the  simple 
and  yet  majestic  spirit  of  a  remote  patriarchal  age,  and 
often  rose  to  the  highest  strains  of  impassioned  eloquence 
and  poetry.  The  answer  of  the  Lord  to  Job  out  of  the 
whirlwind  is  the  sublimest  poem  ever  read  by  man.  The 
grandest  notes  of  the  Cecilian  organ  would  be  but  a  poor 
accompaniment  to  that  sublime  anthem  that  once  swelled 


149 

out  from  the  glittering  bosom  of  the  storm-cloud  and 
mingled  with  the  deep  reverberating  peals  of  the  thunder. 
The  poetic  treasures  of  this  book  have  been  very 
elaborately  considered  by  most  writers  upon  Hebrew 
poetry.  It  contains  sublime  pictorial  scenes  and  is  full 
of  the  fire  and  magnificence  of  poetic  thoughts  that  throb 
with  energetic  life  and  flow  in  rich  cadences  along  the 
rhythmic  lines.  The  inspired  genius  of  the  writer  sweeps 
through  eternity,  its  range  is  as  wide  as  the  universe  and 
seems  to  penetrate  celestial  infinitude  and  catch  the 
music  of  the  stars  as  in  rejoicing  march  they  move  along 
their  serene  pathways  in  everlasting  splendors. 

The  limits  of  this  lecture  will  not  allow  me  to  linger 
amidst  the  gorgeous  imagery  and  oriental  splendors  of 
this  book.  The  author  is  unknown.  The  age  in  which 
he  lived  and  the  grave  where  he  was  buried  cannot  be 
marked  out,  but  his  production  is  an  enduring  monument 
of  his  genius  and  wisdom;  and  the  consolations  and  joys 
which  he  has  given  to  sorrowing  and  suffering  humanity 
will  hallow  his  name  in  eternal  remembrance.  His  genius 
will  ever  be  held  in  admiration  by  men  of  cultivated 
tastes  for  its  suggestiveness  and  richness.  It  is  higher 
and  bolder  than  any  other  human  effort.  Its  daring 
flight  may  be  compared  to  that  of  the  eagle  which  builds 
its  nest  upon  the  mountain  crag,  looks  with  undazzled 
eye  on  the  brightness  of  the  sun,  and  in  the  gladness  of 
freedom  and  power,  mounts  above  the  clouds,  and  on 
strong  unwearied  wings  moves  in  safety  upon  the  storm, 
or  in  far,  rapid  flight  sweeps  over  the  deserts  and  the  seas. 


LECTURE   XII. 


The  Psalms.    The  Song  of  Songs.    Proverbs. 


We  feel  constrained  by  the  fascination  of  the  subject 
to  dwell  at  some  length  upon  the  character  and  poetry 
of  David.  He  may  well  be  called  the  sweetest  singer  of 
Israel.  His  history  itself  is  a  wonderful  poem,  full  of 
striking,  varied  and  brilliant  incidents.  We  see  him  first 
as  a  shepherd  boy  guarding  his  father's  flock  in  the  quiet 
valleys  of  Bethlehem,  and  then  bowing  before  the 
venerable  prophet  and  judge  to  receive  on  his  young  brow 
the  consecrated  annointing  oil  of  sovereignty;  then  as  a 
youthful  warrior,  with  stone  and  sling,  winning  the 
deliverance  of  his  people  when  the  bravest  in  Israel  had 
faltered;  then  he  is  the  son-in-law  and  poet-laureate  of 
his  king;  then  a  fugitive,  wandering  in  the  wilderness  of 
Engedi  and  hiding  in  desert  caves;  then  we  see  him  on 
the  throne,  surrounded  by  wise  counselors,  ruling  over 
the  united  kingdom,  and,  under  the  lion  banner  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  his  great  captains  lead  victorious 
armies  into  the  rock  fortresses  of  Edom,  and  storm 
through  the  breached  walls  of  Rabbath-Ammon;  and 
then,  with  rent  robes,  uncovered  head  and  bleeding  feet, 
we  see  him  weeping  and  flying  from  his  home  before  his 
traitorous  and  ungrateful  son. 

His  domestic  life  presents  as  many  beautiful  scenes  and 
strange  contrasts  as  his  public  career.  He  exhibited  the 
highest  genius  and  chivalry,  the  loftiest  patriotism  and 
purest  friendship,  the  noblest  emotions  and  most  tender 
sympathies  and  affections;  and  then  he  was  guilty  of 
duplicity,  ingratitude  and  the  darkest  vices  and  crimes. 


i5i 

But  the  defects  of  his  character  are  like  spots  upon  the 
sun;  and  in  the  splendor  of  his  genius,  the  elevation  of 
his  piety,  the  nobility  of  his  soul  and  in  the  deep  sincerity 
of  his  penitence,  we  forget  the  errors  and  weaknesses  of 
his  humanity  and  hail  him  as  one  of  the  noblest  and 
grandest  of  the  sons  of  men,  and  acknowledge  him  as 
worthy  of  his  high  renown  and  the  favor  of  God. 

Although  in  the  poems  of  his  life-history  there  is  such 
a  commingling  of  brightness  and  shadow  the  poems  of 
his  genius  are  sacred  and  immortal.  The  harp  he  loved 
so  well  and  touched  so  skilfully  had  a  wide  compass  of 
tone;  sometimesswellingin  strains  of  the  highest  grandeur, 
then  ringing  with  exultant  and  joyous  harmonies,  and  then 
breathing  out  the  low,'  sweet,  tremulous  notes  of  humility, 
love  and  penitence. 

We  will  not  attempt  anything  like  a  critical  analysis 
of  the  Psalms,  or  make  selections  from  their  storehouse 
of  poetic  beauties  and  abounding  heart-treasures.  We 
will  take  only  a  brief  synthetic  view  of  their  literary 
excellencies  and  refer  to  some  of  their  most  obvious  and 
general  characteristics. 

They  were  written  by  various  authors  during  different 
ages  of  the  Hebrew  state,  and  are  a  condensed  history 
of  the  political,  social  and  religious  opinions  and  feelings 
of  that  people.  As  David  composed  a  large  number  of 
these  national  and  religious  songs,  which  are  so  eloquent 
and  spiritual  in  language  and  sentiment,  and  collected 
others  that  were  in  existence  during  his  reign  and  adapted 
them  to  the  temple  service,  the  whole  collection  is  often 
styled  the  Psalms  of  David.  He  was  certainly  a  prince 
among  his  lyrical  brethren,  and  these  spiritual  productions 
of  inspiration  and  genius  could  scarcely  be  honored  with 
a  nobler  name. 

The  Book  of  Psalms  in  the  Hebrew  is  styled  the  "Book 
of  Praises,"  and  is  justly  entitled  to  that  appellation,  as 
it    is    full    of    ascriptions    of    goodness,     mercy,    power 


152 

majesty  and  dominion  to  Jehovah.  It  is  also  full  of 
expression  of  pathos,  social  and  domestic  love,  lofty 
patriotism,  sublime  thought  and  glowing  sympathy  with 
the  scenery  and  varied  voices  of  nature.  We  will  not 
compare  them  with  those  divine  and  inimitable  messages 
of  Him  who  spake  as  never  man  spake,  but  with  these 
exceptions,  the  Psalms  are  the  sweetest,  purest  and 
richest  offerings  of  thought,  emotion,  reverence  and  adoring 
love  that  the  human  mind  and  heart  have  ever  brought 
to   Jehovah's  footstool. 

The  Psalms  are  as  comprehensive  and  varied  as  the 
feelings  and  emotions  of  human  life — they  are  the  very 
breathings  of  the  soul.  In  them  may  be  found  every 
species  of  Hebrew  poetry,  and  they  are  remarkably  rich 
in  beautiful  imagery  and  illustrations  taken  from  nearly 
every  object  in  nature,  and  from  nearly  every  condition  of 
life.  They  may  be  compared  to  a  harp  of  numerous 
strings,  differing  in  tone,  and  touched  with  various 
fingers,  and  yet  no  discordant  notes  mingle  with  their 
combined  and  multitudinous  melodies.  They  are  said  to 
contain  "the  whole  music  of  the  human  heart  swept  by 
the  hand  of  its  Maker." 

Bishop  Home  says,  "The  Psalms  are  an  epitome  of 
the  Bible  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  devotion,"  and  they 
are  full  of  the  prophetic  light  and  glory  of  the  Gospel. 
The  Psalms  are  the  voices  of  the  ancient  Church,  in 
which  are  uttered  its  gladness  and  its  glory,  its  penitence 
and  its  griefs,  its  hopes  and  its  praises.  They  are  still 
the  voices  of  the  Church  of  God.  The  various  denom- 
inations of  Christendom  may  differ  as  to  the  doctrinal 
teachings  of  the  Bible,  and  as  to  the  rites  and  ceremonies 
of  worship,  but  all,  with  harmonious  consent,  adopt  the 
Psalms  as  the  voices  of  Christian  life.  They  constitute 
a  bond  of  Christian  union — sacred  and  immortal — binding 
the  Churches  into  a  grand  catholic  unity.  They  also 
link    Christian   hearts    with    the    sympathetic    chords    of 


153 

memory,  with  the  glorious  men  of  the  old  dispensation, 
and  thus  perpetuate  a  vital  spiritual  union  between  the 
living  and  the  dead  of  God's  children  which  will  be  con- 
tinued in  all  succeeding  generations,  and  thus  form  a 
connection  between  the  Church  Militant  and  the  Church 
Triumphant. 

I  cannot  refrain  from  re/erring  to  two  familiar  facts 
which  especially  hallowed  and  glorified  the  Psalms  with 
celestial  radiance  and  the  beauty  of  holiness.  They  are 
full  of  prophecies  of  our  Saviour  and  foreshadowed  his 
Gospel,  but  those  are  not  their  highest  glory.  He  sang 
one  with  his  disciples  at  the  sad  and  loving  communion  of 
the  first  Lord's  Supper,  and  with  his  dying  breath,  and  in  the 
hour  of  his  deepest  humiliation  and  agony,  he  uttered  a 
sentence  of  the  Psalms  from  the  cross.  These  were  their 
crowning  glories.  Need  I  say  more  of  their  spiritual 
beauties  ?  I  will  make  a  general  summary.  They  were 
inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  breathed  through  the  lips  of 
holy  men — thus  mingling  divinity  with  humanity;  they 
were  illumined  with  the  light  of  evangelical  prophecy  and 
sanctified  with  exceeding  glory  by  the  approval  of  our 
Saviour.  Thus  they  were  consecrated  and  fitted  to  pre- 
pare Christian  hearts  for  the  trials,  sorrows  and  joys  of 
earthly  life,  and  then  to  join  in  the  heavenly  songs  and 
hallelujah's  of  the  angels  and  seraphim  as  they  touch 
their  golden  harps  in  the  eternal  realms  of  glory. 

As  literary  productions,  judged  by  the  standards  of 
human  excellence,  we  think  that  we  can  truthfully  say 
that  the  Psalms,  taken  all  in  all,  are  the  sweetest,  the 
tenderest  and  most  sublime  lyrics  to  be  found  in  literature? 
and  they  have  exerted  the  highest  and  holiest  influences 
upon  the  happiness,  culture  and  progress  of  mankind. 
There  is  no  poetry  like  the  Psalms.  They  have  a  living 
beauty  and  depth  of  pathos  which  can  never  be  excelled 
and  will  always  wake  the  highest  and  holiest  harmonies 
of  the  human  heart.     They  indeed  are  immortal.     The 


154 

Iliad,  the  JEneid,  the  Divina  Commedia  and  the  Paradise 
Lost  are  as  immortal  as  human  language,  but  when  they 
perish  the  Psalms  will  be  sung  by  the  angels  and  redeemed 
ones  in  Paradise,  for  they  are  the  songs  of  God.  For 
more  than  a  thousand  years  they  were  the  glory  of  Zion 
and  made  glad  the  City  of  the  Great  King.  In  the 
magnificent  temple  service  how  grandly  did  they  swell  in 
choral  joy  as  they  mingled  with  the  music  of  psaltery  and 
harp  swept  by  the  hands  of  Korah's  tuneful  sons.  They 
fired  the  genius  of  the  ancient  prophets  as  they  poured 
forth  their  sublime  rhapsodies  to  rebellious  Israel  and 
disobedient  Judah.  They  gladdened  the  solitude  of  the 
simple  Hebrew  shepherd  as  he  led  his  flock  through  the 
green  pastures  and  beside  the  still  waters  of  his  heaven- 
blest  land,  and  the  dark-eyed  daughters  of  Zion  knew  no 
sweeter  minstrelsy  than  that  which  the  royal  minstrel 
sang.  They  called  up  sweet  memories  and  bright  hopes 
in  the  sad  hearts  of  the  captive  Israelites,  as  weeping  they 
sat  by  the  dark  waters  of  Babel,  and  in  secret  tuned  their 
plaintive  harps  to  sing  one  of  the  loved  songs  of  their 
fatherland.  When  the  great  Macedonian  conqueror  came 
sweeping  like  a  besom  of  distruction  over  the  decaying 
empires  of  the  East,  these  sacred  songs  were  soon  trans- 
lated into  the  beautifully  poetic  language  of  Greece,  and 
were  scattered  like  precious  gems  over  all  the  nations  of 
the  Orient.  They  were  the  admiration  of  the  disbelieving 
Gentile,  and  roused  the  patriotic  pride  and  religious  zeal 
of  the  self-exiled  Jew  in  the  land  of  the  Ptolemies,  among 
the  classic  groves  of  Greece  and  amid  the  proud  palaces 
and  temples  of  the  seven-hilled  city  of  the  Tiber. 

The  Psalms  often  engaged  the  attention  of  Christ  and 
his  disciples  as  they  held  holy  converse  in  the  wilderness 
and  on  the  mountains  of  Judea,  and  while  wandering 
among  the  fruitful  valleys  of  Samaria  and  the  Jordan, 
while  preaching  and  working  miracles  in  the  towns  and 
cities  of  Galilee,  and  resting  on  the  bosom  of  Genesareth 


155 

as  she  slept  in  beauty  beneath  her  sunbright  or  starry 
skies,  or  while  their  little  vessel  was  tossed  in  fury  by  the 
angry  and  crested  waves.  They  were  the  cradle  songs 
that  cheered  the  infant  Church — they  were  the  martyr's 
chant  in  the  bloody  amphitheatre  and  rose  to  heaven 
amidst  the  wild  and  cruel  shouts  of  heathen  persecutors. 
They  sounded  like  blest  spirit  voices  through  Mediaeval 
darkness  and  they  were  the  vesper  and  matin  hymns  of 
the  pious  Waldenses  in  their  mountain  temples.  They 
kindled  the  enthusiasm  of  the  chivalric  crusader  as  he 
pressed  through  the  arrows  of  the  pestilence  and  the 
storm  of  battle  to  the  rescue  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  They 
were  the  defiant  notes  of  the  bold  Reformers  while  they 
roused  Europe  from  spiritual  lethargy  and  disregarded  the 
pealing  thunders  of  the  Vatican.  In  wild  and  thrilling 
cadences  they  echoed  from  the  glens  and  caverns  of 
Scotland,  where  the  stern  Covenanters,  fearing  naught 
but  God,  were  preparing  to  die  for  the  purity  and  sanctity 
of  their  faith;  and  they  were  the  paeans  of  the  iron 
veterans  of  Cromwell,  as  in  victory  they  trod  the  battle- 
fields of  freedom.  They  were  the  farewell  strains  of  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers  as  they  left  their  kindred  and  country, 
and  in  holy  raptures  they  rose  from  the  deck  of  the  May- 
flower as  she  breasted  the  wintry  billows  of  the  stormy 
Atlantic,  and  they  broke  the  stillness  of  the  American 
wilderness  and  hallowed  the  land  of  our  fathers. 

The  Psalms  have  been  heard  amidst  the  icy  palaces  of 
the  frozen  North  where  the  Aurora-Borealis  continually 
is  glowing;  in  the  distant  isles  of  the  tropic  seas  where 
evergreen  woodlands  bud  and  blossom  beneath  the  path- 
way oY  the  sun;  and  they  have  often  cheered  and 
strengthened  the  weary  pilgrim  amidst  the  silence  and 
solitude  of  the  desert.  Like  angel  visitants,  with  glad 
music  on  their  wings,  they  have  entered  the  stately  homes 
of  the  great  and  the  humble  cottages  of  the  poor,  and 
illumined  with  heavenly  radiance  the  fading  eyes  of  dying 


1 56 

saints.  They  have  nerved  the  heart  of  the  suffering 
Christian  heroin  his  lonely  dungeon  and  sustained  fainting 
martyrs  at  the  fiery  stake. 

They  have  expressed  the  deepest  emotions  of  wor- 
shipers in  the  mosques  of  Islam,  the  Churches  of 
Christendom  and  the  secret  chambers  of  penitence  and 
prayer.  They  have  been  attuned  to  the  noblest  melodies 
of  earth;  have  been  associated  with  the  purest  affections 
and  dearest  memories  of  home,  and  everywhere  have  been 
the  language  of  the  human  heart  as  it  poured  forth  its 
earnest  longings  and  brightest  hopes  of  heaven. 

The  Psalms  have  been  translated  into  more  than  two 
hundred  different  languages;  have  added  beauty  and 
vitality  to  all  Christian  literature,  and  they  are  the  sacred 
fountains  from  which  great  bards  have  drank  the  inspiring 
waters  which  made  them  immortal  and  gave  to  their 
genius  the  magic  power  that  thrilled  the  mystic  strings 
of  the  human  heart. 

Wherever  the  foot  of  civilized  man  has  trod  the  path" 
ways  either  of  ambition  or  commerce  these  olden  *mgs 
have  gone  with  their  consolations  and  joys  and  conferred 
more  precious  treasures  than  wealth  or  fame.  They  have 
gone  even  further  than  man's  greed  for  power  and  gain,  they 
have  been  borne  by  Christian  missionaries  and  exerted  their 
divine  influences  in  pestilential  climes  and  savage  wilds 
where  the  light  of  civilization  has  scarcely  shone.  Like 
the  sunshine  and  dews  of  heaven  they  seem  to  have  fallen 
on  nearly  every  land  of  the  earth. 

Although  the  Psalms  have  passed  through  the  revolu- 
tions and  changes  of  three  thousand  years,  which  have 
wrecked  nearly  all  the  productions  and  memorials  of 
man's  pride,  intellect  and  ambition,  they  have  in  spirit 
much  of  the  vitality  and  freshness  which  they  had  when 
they  first  gushed  from  the  hearts  and  minds  of  the  old 
Hebrew  bards  among  the  beautiful  hills  and  valleys  of  the 
Promised  Land.     We  fully  believe  that  the  time  will  come 


i57 

at  no  distant  day  when  these  songs  of  Zion  will  be  heard 
in  every  home  and  every  tongue  will  sing  their  praises 
unto  Israel's  God. 

How  profusely  has  the  prolific  and  inspired  genius  of 
Solomon  scattered  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  the  gems 
of  poesy  over  the  sacred  page.  The  "  Song  of  Songs" 
was  evidently  written  in  youth,  when  the  heart  of  the 
poet  was  full  of  the  exhuberant  love  and  joyousness  of 
innocent  life.  It  is  a  paradisaical  idyl  breathing  the  loves 
of  the  pure  in  heart.  Among  the  Jews  and  in  the 
Christian  Church  it  has  been  regarded  as  an  allegorical 
representation  of  the  mystic  union  and  tenderness  existing 
between  Jehovah  and  Israel — Christ  and  his  Church.  It 
is  also  supposed  to  be  an  image  of  Eden  before  sin  had 
entered  its  hallowed  precincts  and  marred  its  heavenly 
beauty.  Where  the  first  human  pair  dwelt  in  hymeneal 
bliss;  where  the  soft  and  gentle  North  wind  and  South 
wind  caused  the  odors  of  spices  to  flow  out;  where  the 
gladsome  fountains  and  murmuring  groves  joined  in  cease- 
less and  harmonious  concert,  and  the  little  throats  of  the 
singing  birds  were  almost  bursting  with  melody,  and  the 
sunlight  was  sporting  with  joy  over  green  lawns,  luscious 
fruits,  blooming  flowers  and  sparkling  musical  waters, 
while  the  voice   of  God  uttered  continual   benedictions. 

This  book  is  the  most  complete  and  artistic  poem  in  the 
Bible  and  it  is  by  far  the  most  mystical.  It  differs  some- 
what in  thought  and  style  from  all  the  other  books  of  the 
sacred  canon.  We  will  not  attempt  to  expound  its  spiritual 
meaning  and  purposes.  Upon  these  questions  we  accept 
the  general  opinion  of  the  Church  without  objection.  As 
.a  literary  production  this  book  is  full  of  rhythm  and  the 
choicest  poetic  imagery.  Nature  is  presented  in  the 
richest  and  loveliest  garbe  of  spring,  and  abounding  in 
everything  calculated  to  contribute  to  the  exquisite  enjoy- 
ments of  refined  and  elegant  tastes,  and  the  persons 
represented  are  high  ideals  of  gracefulness,  symmetry  and 


158 

beauty  animated  in  their  endearments  and  caresses  by  a 
tender,  pure  and  delicate  love.  It  well  deserves  the  title 
given  it  in  the  Hebrew  language,  which  signifies  "  The 
most  beautiful  song." 

The  Book  of  Proverbs  contains  some  of  the  precious 
thoughts  and  experiences  of  the  Hebrew  people,  collected 
and  arranged  into  beautiful  literary  mosaics  by  the  inspired 
genius  of  Solomon.  The  Hebrews  were  "  a  kingdom  of 
priests  and  a  holy  nation"  unto  the  Lord,  and  His  spirit 
dwelt  among  them  and  sanctified  their  hearts  and  enlight- 
ened their  minds  with  divine  thoughts  and  holy  emotions, 
that  were  expressed  in  social  and  religious  intercourse  in 
beautiful  and  appropriate  language.  We  fully  believe  that 
God  inspired  the  writers  of  the  Bible  as  special  messengers 
for  communicating  His  revealed  word  to  mankind,  but  we 
also  believe  that  His  Holy  Spirit  has,  in  every  age,  dwelt 
among  His  believing  people,  illumining  their  minds  and 
hearts  with  holy  thoughts  and  emotions,  which  have  been 
expressed  in  language  approved  by  Him.  As  God,  in 
providence  is  ever  sowing  the  germs  of  trees,  flowers  and 
verdure  in  the  natural  world,  which  His  messengers  and 
agents — the  light,  rain,  dews  and  other  forces — are  con- 
tinually rearing  into  fruitfulness,  bloom  and  fragrance 
'or  the  delight  and  enjoyment  of  mankind;  we  may  well 
believe  that  His  Holy  Spirit  has  in  every  age  illumined 
the  minds  and  hearts  of  His  people  with  thoughts  and 
expressions  of  beauty  and  holiness  that  come  from  the 
heavenly  home  to  cheer  and  to  bless.  We  are  taught  to 
pray  for  the  wisdom  and  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
our  thoughts,  words  and  actions. 

There  are  many  productions  in  Christian  literature,  and 
many  songs  used  in  the  church  service  which  elevate  and 
brighten  our  faith  and  devotion  and  fill  our  hearts  with 
holy  raptures,  and  why  may  we  not  believe  that  these 
productions  of  saintly  men  sprang  from  divine  illumination 
and  were  not  the  mere  creations  of  human  genius  ?     We 


159 

believe  that  the  Book  of  Proverbs  was  written  and 
arranged  under  the  guidance  of  divine  inspiration  and 
contains  many  of  the  maxims  of  Hebrew  wisdom  and 
experience,  the  products  of  the  popular  mind  influenced 
by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  proverbial  style  was  very  common  among  the 
Hebrews,  and  is  an  evidence  of  their  quick  mental  and 
moral  perceptions  and  energy  of  thought.  We  find  this 
style  of  composition  in  the  Apocryphal  Books  the  Talmud 
and  other  Rabbinical  writings  of  a  subsequent  age. 

The  Book  of  Proverbs  is  one  of  the  most  instructive 
and  polished  books  in  the  Old  Testament.  Its  language 
is  terse  and  elegant  and  full  of  the  beauties  of  poetry. 
Its  teachings  have  been  apt  and  forcible  in  every  age  and 
in  every  language,  as  they  are  full  of  truth  and  well  adapted 
to  the  various  conditions  of  human  life,  and  have  conferred 
inestimable  blessings  upon  mankind. 

All  nations  have  their  proverbs,  expressing  with  beauty 
and  force,  social,  political  and  moral  truths  applicable  to 
the  intercourse  of  men  in  the  various  walks  of  life  and 
their  wisdom  is  sanctioned  by  human  experience.  Many 
of  them,  are  the  productions  of  men  of  genius  and  sages, 
while  others  float  like  waifs  on  the  currents  of  popular 
feeling  and  intelligence,  and  cannot  be  traced  to  the  indi- 
vidual minds  and  circumstances  from  which  they  sprang. 

Most  of  the  precious  metals  used  by  mankind  were 
extracted  from  rude  and  shapeless  ores  taken  with  great 
labor  and  skill  from  quartz,  slate  and  granite  veins  in  deep 
mines,  but  many  precious  gems  and  grains  and  nuggets 
of  gold  have  been  accidentally  found  by  the  wayside,  in 
sequestered  valleys  and  in  rivulets  and  streams.  The 
great  mass  of  human  knowledge  and  wisdom  has  been 
accumulated  by  the  patient  and  laborious  study  and 
investigations  of  sages  and  philosophers,  but  in  proverbial 
and  poetic  literature  we  often  find  brilliant  intellectual 
gems  and  many  treasures  of  knowledge  which  unknown 


i6o 

sons  of  genius  placed  in  the  wide  fields  of  human  thought. 
Some  of  the  finest  thoughts  and  expressions  in.che  litera- 
ture of  every  nation  are  the  spontaneous  products  of  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  the  people  in  the  ordinary  intercourse 
of  social  and  domestic  life.  They  are  the  amber,  pearls 
and  grains  of  gold  which  the  strong  and  restless  ocean  of 
popular  feeling  and  sentiment  has  thrown  up  from  its 
depths  and  cast  upon  the  shore,  and  they  were  collected 
by  men  of  taste  and  genius  and  skilfully  inwrought  into 
the  rich  texture  of  literature.  Upon  careful  examination 
it  will  be  found  that  many  national  proverbs  which  teach 
moral,  social  and  political  truths  derived  much  of  their 
wisdom,  vitality,  epigrammatic  force  and  beauty  from  the 
influence  of  the  old  Hebrew  mind. 

From  this  brief  and  imperfect  consideration  of  some  of 
j-he  books  of  the  Old  Testament  may  we  not  well  conclude 
that  they  are  worthy  of  our  constant  and  careful  study, 
even  as  literary  productions,  as  they  contain  so  much 
bright,  pure,  sublime  and  beautiful  language,  imagery  and 
thought. 


LECTURE  XIII. 


The  Prophecies. 


In  the  course  of  our  investigations  in  Hebrew  poetry 
we  have  reached  the  books  of  the  Prophets,  and  a  very 
cursory  examination  will  show  that  they  are  highly 
poetical  and  full  of  impassioned  eloquence  and  grandeur  of 
imagery.  Before  separately  considering  these  books  we 
will  briefly  refer  to  the  characters  of  the  Prop  net  bards 
and  the  circumstances  by  which  they  were  surrounded 
and  influenced,  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that  there 
existed  many  natural  causes  well  calculated  to  elevate 
and  intensify  their  genius. 

In  the  sacred  history  of  Israel  we  find  many  persons 
who  had  the  gift  of  prophecy  and  gave  utterance  to 
sublime  thoughts  in  language  highly  poetical.  We  find 
a  striking  instance  in  Baalam,  the  son  of  Beor.  He 
seems  to  have  had  some  knowledge  of  the  true  God, 
derived  from  the  old  patriarchal  dispensation,  but  he 
had  mingled  with  this  religious  belief  the  superstitions  of 
pagan  idolatry.  His  prophecy  is  one  of  the  most  elegant 
and  beautiful  pieces  of  poetic  composition  to  be  found  in 
any  literature.  It  flowed  from  his  unwilling  lips  under 
the  influence  of  divine  inspiration  and  was  recorded  by 
Moses,  and  the  style  may  have  received  some  of  its 
glow  and  brilliancy  from  the  inspired  genius  of  the  great 
poet  and  lawgiver.  We  forbear  to  make  reference  to  the 
utterances  of  some  other  prophets  mentioned  in  the  Old 
Testament,  as  we  desire  to  confine  our  attention  to  the 
productions  of  those  writers  who  strictly  belong  to  the 
"  goodly  fellowship  of  the  Prophets."  They  were  chosen 
by  God  as  instruments  to  explain  some  of  his  dealings 


l62 

in  the  past  and  reveal,  to  some  extent,  His  will,  His 
plans  and  purposes  in  the  future  government  and  salva- 
tion of  His  spiritual  Isreal. 

The  roll  of  the  prophet  writers  was  opened  about  the 
reign  of  Uzziah,  and  at  that  time  the  condition  of  the 
tribes  of  Israel  was  well  calculated  to  excite  in  the  mind 
of  a  patriotic  Hebrew  painful  solicitude  and  apprehension 
for  the  future  welfare  of  his  nation.  The  tribes  had  long 
been  divided  into  the  kingdoms  of  Israel  and  Judah,  and 
were  discordant  and  beligerent;  and  being  thus  weakened 
by  internal  disorders  and  dissensions  the  country 
was  often  wasted  by  civil  wars  and  the  invasions  of 
neighboring  nations.  The  people  had  also  greatly 
degenerated  in  moral  and  religious  character,  and  were 
yielding  to  the  corrupting  influences  of  paganism. 

The  Prophets  were  pure  and  high-toned  patriots  and 
all  the  energies  and  faculties  of  their  minds  and  hearts 
were  aroused  in  the  effort  to  save  their  beloved  country 
from  impending  ruin.  Thus  their  genius  and  affections 
were  kindled  to  the  brightest  glow  as  they  pleaded  with 
their  erring  and  wayward  countrymen  and  denounced 
their  cruel  enemies. 

There  are  two  words  in  the  Hebrew  language  of  nearly 
synonymous  import  which  are  often  used  to  designate  the 
prophet,  and  in  our  language  signifies  "  One  who  sees." 
The  Prophets  might  well  be  called  seers  for  magnificent 
visions  of  the  past,  the  present  and  the  future  were  by 
the  inspiration  of  God  presented  to  their  spiritual  intui- 
tion. They  may  not  have  understood  the  full  import  of 
the  divine  communications  and  the  scope  of  the  visions 
they  witnessed,  but  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  they  described  the  scenes  with  the  highest  poetic 
vividness.  The  contemplation  of  such  scenes  must  have 
had  great  influence  in  enlarging  their  minds  as  they 
ranged  through  an  extensive  field  of  vision.     They  saw 


163 

the  connection  and  continuity  of  time — the  past,  the 
present  and  the  future.  They  beheld  God  in  histroy  and 
prophecy  working  out  wondrous  plans,  all  connected  and 
controlled  by  a  general  purpose.  We  can  look  back  and 
see  what  has  been  accomplished.  We  know  that  the 
waves  which  the  ancient  nations  started  on  the  great 
ocean  of  human  existence  have  continued  to  roll  ever 
onward,  and  we  can  well  believe  that  they  will  never 
cease  until  they  break  on  the  shores  of  eternity  when 
time  shall  be  no  more.  But  the  Prophets  saw  many  of 
these  events  in  the  womb  of  the  future.  In  the  light  of 
history  we  will  refer  to  some  of  the  scenes  and  events 
with  which  the  Prophets  were  familiar  or  saw  in  the 
vivid  visions  of  prophecy. 

During  the  period  of  Hebrew  national  life  the  great 
oriental  monarchies  performed  their  part  in  the  wondrous 
drama  of  universal  history.  There  was  Egypt  in  the 
pride  of  her  power — even  then  hoary  witli  age,  without 
its  decrepitude  and  decay,  rich  in  the  annals  and  accumu- 
lations of  centuries,  the  cradle  of  human  civilization — 
the  fountain  of  philosophy,  science  and  art;  covered  with 
splendid  cities  and  those  stupendous  monuments  of 
human  enterprise,  energy  and  skill,  which  even  in  ruins, 
have  astounded  with  their  magnitude  and  magnificence 
the  most  enlightened  nations  of  the  modern  world. 

In  the  East  were  Nineveh  and  Babylon,  the  magnificent 
emporiums  of  the  Mesopotamian  valley,  with  hundreds 
of  palaces  and  temples  "  shining  in  silver  and  gold,  as 
splendid  as  the  sun";  surrounded  with  well-watered 
orchards,  vineyards,  gardens  and  meadows  sparkling  in 
beauty  and  fertile  in  abundance.  In  territorial  extent 
these  cities  were  almost  kingdoms,  and  were  enclosed 
with  extensive,  massive  and  lofty  walls  surmounted  with 
more  than  a  thousand  strong  towers.  They  were  filled 
with   an   intelligent  and  busy  population:  they  received 


164 

tribute  from  the  submissive  nations  of  a  continent; 
their  armies  were  almost  countless  and  were  strengthened 
by  discipline  and  repeated  conquests;  statements  of  their 
wealth  and  magnificence  seem  fabulous,  and  many  of 
the  structures  which  they  reared  were  regarded  as  among 
the  wonders  of  the  world.  They  had  histories  venerable 
for  antiquity  and  rich  in  intellectual  achievements  and 
martial  renown,  and  they  could  trace  their  line  of  kings 
almost  to  the  Deluge.  The  stories  of  these  two  empire 
cities  read  like  the  extravagant  fictions  of  an  oriental 
dream.  There  the  descendants  of  Shem,  Ham  and  Japheth 
separated  to  re-people  the  flood-swept  world,  and  there 
the  Chaldean  magi  first  with  intelligent  eyes  mapped 
out  the  constellations,  tracked  the  planets  in  their  courses, 
pointed  out  the  beauties  of  the  earth's  zodiacal  girdle, 
and  read  some  of  the  mysteries  and  eloquence  of  the 
radiant  stars.  They  are  to  us  the  lands  of  ruins,  mystery, 
poetry  and  old  romance,  and  they  must  in  their  power 
and  glory  have  been  wondrous  to  the  shepherds  of 
Palestine. 

On  the  Southern  border  of  the  Holy  Land  the  wild 
sons  of  Ishmael  were  fulfilling  their  prophetic  destiny,  and 
were  roaming  over  the  deserts  in  that  unrestrained  free- 
dom that  was  ever  to  remain  unconquerable  by  man  or 
time.  There  too  the  stern  children  of  Edom  carved  their 
fortresses  and  temples  in  the  bosom  of  the  mountains  and 
built  their  dwellings  among  the  cliffs  of  the  rocks,  on  the 
eyries  of  the  eagles. 

To  the  North  beneath  the  shadows  of  Lebanon  the 
queenly  cities  of  Tyre  and  Sidon  sat  in  sumptuous  mag- 
nificence by  the  sea.  They  had  planted  industrious  and 
prosperous  colonies  on  every  shore  of  the  Mediterranean, 
and  their  stately  triremes  had  gathered  wealth  from  the 
"  Isles  of  the  Gentiles, "  and  in  adventurous  commercial 
enterprise  had  sailed    beyond  the  pillared  gates  of  the 


I6j 

distant  Atlantic.  They  had  sent  their  cunning  craftsmen 
and  skilled  artisans  to  rear  the  grand  structures  of  religion, 
pride,  wealth  and  ambition  in  every  land  and  fill  them 
with  the  beautiful  productions  of  imitative  art;  while  their 
merchant  princes,  robed  in  purple  and  fine  linen,  spent 
their  hours  of  repose  in  elegantly  adorned  palaces  and 
gardens,  and  lavished  treasures  in  the  excesses  of  voluptu- 
ousness. 

I  will  not  refer  at  any  length  to  the  giant  structures  of 
Bashan,  Moab  and  Ammon,  or  to  the  five  cities  of  warlike 
Philistia — rich  from  abundant  harvests  and  from  their 
extensive  commerce  with  the  "  spicy  shore  of  Arabie 
the  blest." 

All  these  nations  and  peoples  were,  at  times,  the 
enemies  and  oppressors  of  Israel,  and  the  Prophets  fore- 
saw their  coming  doom.  They  saw  in  visions  the  fierce 
legions  of  the  Persians,  the  Babylonians,  the  Greeks,  the 
Romans,  the  Saracens  and  the  Ottomans  sweep  in 
desolating  course  over  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Nile — 
leaving  no  vestige  of  old  Egypt's  greatness  and  glory 
but  Titanic  ruins  and  the  time-defying  pyramids  They 
saw  Nineveh,  the  metropolis  of  the  Orient,  encompassed 
by  the  relentless  Medes;  then  the  gates  of  the  river 
opened  and  dissolved  her  walls;  then  her  proudest  palace 
became  a  vast  funeral  pyre  that  consumed  the  last  of 
her  kings;  then  her  nobles  were  dwelling  in  the  dust  and 
her  people  were  scattered  on  the  mountains.  Then  they 
saw  her  for  centuries  lying  in  desolation  and  "  dry  like  a 
wilderness."  "  Flocks  lie  down  in  the  midst  of  her." 
"  Hawks  and  crows  nestle  in  her  ruined  battlements." 
"  The  cormorant  and  bittern  lodge  in  her  upper  lintels 
and  sing  in  the  windows. "  Then  the  agencies  of  nature 
and  time  slowly  cover  her  grave  of  oblivion  where  she 
sleeps  for  twenty-five  hundred  years,  when  an  English- 
man "  uncovers  her  cedar  work,  "  excavates  her  palaces 


1 66 

and  reveals  her  sculptured  history  to  an  astonished  world 
and  confirms  the  truth  of  divine  prophecy. 

With  what  graphic  power  and  gorgeous  imagery  do  the 
prophets  describe  their  panoramic  visions  of  the  down- 
fall of  "  The  Golden  City."  "The  glory  of  kingdoms  and 
the  beauty  of  the  Chaldee's  excellence."  When  we  read 
Isaiah's  description  of  the  approach  of  Cyrus  with  his 
multitudinous  army,  collected  from  all  nations,  we  can 
almost  hear  the  rush  of  the  chariots,  the  trampling  of  the 
horses,  and  the  tread  of  the  legions  as  they  gather  to 
the  harvest  of  death.  "  The  noise  of  a  multitude  in 
the  mountains  like  as  a  great  people,  a  tumultuous  noise 
of  the  kingdoms,  of  nations  gathered  together,  the  Lord 
of  hosts  mustereth  the  hosts  of  battle."  Then  came 
the  disastrous  overthrow.  When  the  brightly  lighted 
festal  halls  of  Babylon  were  ringing  with  shouts  and 
songs  of  sinful  revelry,  a  mysterious  hand  wrote  the 
sentence  of  doom  on  the  wall  before  Belshazzar  and  his 
courtiers;  then  from  the  bed  of  the  river  the  furious 
Persians  and  Medes  pour  like  waves  of  fire  over  her 
palaces  and  homes.  Her  gates  of  brass  are  broken  in 
pieces  and  her  iron  bars  cut  asunder,  and  the  hidden 
treasures  of  secret  places  become  the  spoils  of  conquest. 
"  A  sword  is  upon  the  Chaldeans  and  upon  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Babylon  and  upon  her  princes  and  upon  her 
wise  men,"  and  they  are  dismayed  and  "become  as 
women."  For  several  centuries  afterwards  Babylon  was 
a  beacon-light  among  the  nations,  sometimes  glowing  in 
brightness,  but  at  last  every  spark  of  glory  died  in  ashes 
and  she  became  a  heap  of  ruins,  where  not  even  the 
wild  Arabs  pitch  their  tents  or  the  shepherds  fold  their 
flocks. 

I  will  only  allude  to  the  prophetic  doom  of  Edom,  so 
long  buried  in  the  silence  and  desolation  of  her  mountain 
grave.     I  will  not  attempt  to  trace  the  glory  and  the 


167 

gloom  mingled  in  the  history  of  Tyre — the  city  of  ten 
thousand  masts,  until  she  sank  beneath  the  waves  upon 
which  her  proud  navies  had  ridden  in  commercial  triumph. 
She  became  a  place  where  the  fishermen  dry  their  nets. 
*'  A  mournful  silence  now  prevails  along  the  shore  which 
once  resounded  with  the  world's  debate."  Many  of  the 
visions  of  prophecy  have  become  the  facts  and  truths  of 
history. 

Need  I  dwell  longer  in  showing  that  the  Hebrew 
prophetic  bards  were  surrounded  by  circumstances  and 
were  gifted  with  visions  well  calculated  to  develop  the 
highest  poetic  enthusiasm  ?  If  the  story  of  Troy  and 
the  valiant  Greeks  created  the  splendid  diction  and 
imagery  of  the  Iliad,  can  we  be  surprised  that  the 
magnificent  visions  of  prophecy  should  have  filled  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  the  Prophet  bards  with  sublime  and 
glorious  thoughts  and  images  which  under  divine  inspira- 
tion bursted  forth  in  rapturous  song  ? 

While  the  books  of  the  Prophets  were  so  full  of  rich 
language,  sublime  thought  and  vivid  imagery,  they  were 
in  their  teachings  to  the  people  the  most  obscure  portions 
of  their  literature.  This,  obscurity  necessarily  resulted 
from  the  nature  of  prophecy.  God  did  not  intend  to 
make  the  future  as  luminous  as  the  past.  He  gave  only 
glimpses  of  His  divine  purposes  that  His  people  might 
ever  be  in  a  condition  of  earnest  expectancy  and  hope 
and  have  their  faith  in  Him  brightened  and  strengthened 
as  He  evolved  His  wondrous  plans.  The  prophecies  to 
the  spiritual  perceptions  of  the  Hebrew  people  were  like 
the  bright  and  ever-shining  stars  in  the  firmament  to 
their  natural  vision  as  they  gleamed  in  surrounding 
darkness.  As  to  unaccomplished  prophecies  the  Chris- 
tian world  is  in  the  same  condition.  We  cannot  understand 
their  meaning  untilGod  sees  proper  to  unfold  His  purposes. 

The  astronomer  with  his  telescope  can  range'  through 


i68 

the  heavens  and  catch  the  light  of  distant  planets  and 
stars  and  discover  some  of  the  general  laws  which  reg- 
ulate their  motion,  but  he  can  never  see  their  full  orbed 
splendors  or  attain  that  infinite  knowledge  which  will 
enable  him  to  understand  fully  the  celestial  mechanism 
of  the  universe;  to  bind  the  sweet  influences  of  Pleiades, 
loose  the  bands  of  Orion,  bring  forth  Mazzaroth  in  his 
season,  or  guide  Arcturus  with  his  sons.  We  know  that 
the  heavenly  hosts  in  their  revolving  motions  are  directed 
by  some  great  central  force  which  God  comprehends 
and  controls  for  His  own  glory. 

Thus,  while  we  read  and  partially  comprehend  and 
appreciate  the  grand  truths  and  magnificent  imagery  of 
the  prophecies,  we  will  not  attempt  to  solve  the  mysteries 
they  present,  which  have  so  long  bewildered  the  minds  of 
learned  and  earnest  men.  "  Canst  thou  by  searching 
find  out  God  ;  canst  thou  find  out  the  Almighty  unto 
perfection."  The  Prophets  were  spokesmen  for  God,  and 
although  we  cannot  fully  understand  all  His  utterances, 
we  know  that  they  are  true  and  righteous.  Modern 
science  may  mislead  many  earnest  investigators  after 
truth,  and  entangle  them  in  the  ingenious  cobwebs  of  its 
sophestries,  but  we  hope  ever  to  read  the  Bible  with  the 
sincere  veneration  of  a  devout  worshiper  and  the  simple, 
undoubting  confidence  of  a  child. 

We  will  only  glance  at  the  literary  excellencies  of  the 
prophecies  and  be  content  with  the  spiritual  beauties 
which  they  display  to  the  eye  of  an  humble  faith. 

The  images  of  other  poets  are  the  tapestries  of  fancy 
woven  in  the  aerial  loom  of  genius,  while  the  visions  of 
the  Prophet  bards  were  vivid  glimpses  of  grand  realities 
gleaming  with  the  light  of  inspiration. 

A  striking  characterestic  of  the  Prophet  bards  is  inten- 
sity of  thought  and  passionate  purpose.  The  ordinary 
word  for  Prophet  in  the   Hebrew  language  signifies   "to 


169 

boil  up  or  gush  out  like  a  fountain."  The  minds  and 
hearts  of  the  Prophets  were  not  trickling,  but  gushing 
fountains,  from  which  have  flowed  streams  which  have 
made  glad  the  city  of  God.  We  have  often  thought  that 
there  was  something  grand  and  imposing  in  the  person- 
nel of  Elijah  and  Isaiah  which  inspired  veneration  and 
awe.  Their  faces  must  have  beamed  and  their  eyes  have 
glowed  with  celestial  light  as  they  uttered  their  eloquent 
and  impassioned  messages  to  their  erring  countrymen. 
They  walked  so  closely  with  God  that  they  must  have 
caught  some  of  the  light  of  His  glory.  We  know  that  the 
face  of  Moses  shone  with  exceeding  brightness  when  he 
came  down  from  Mount  Sinaiwith  the  tables  of  the  law; 
and  we  also  know  that  the  face  of  St.  Stephen,  transfigured 
by  the  glorious  faith  that  burned  in  his  soul,  "shone  like 
the  face  of  an  angel."  But  upon  this  subject  the  word  of 
God  is  silent,  and  we  have  only  a  few  allusions  to  the 
personal  characters   of  these  wondrous  Prophets. 

The  progress  of  human  destiny  has  been  principally 
developed  by  two  distinctive  classes  of  men,  great  think- 
ers and  great  actors.  We  might  select  from  the  annals 
of  man  many  examples  of  each  class,  but  in  doing  so  we 
would  only  present  lists  of  immortal  names  with  which 
you  are  familiar.  The  great  actors  occupy  the  most 
prominent  place  in  written  history,  as  the  results  which 
they  accomplished  were  more  immediate,  striking  and 
eventful.  But  the  attentive  student  of  history  will  not 
fail  to  observe  that  the  great  thinkers  originated,  discov- 
ered or  combined  those  important  political,  intellectual, 
moral,  social  and  physical  truths  and  principles  which 
produced  revolutions  in  States,  advancement  in  science 
and  glory  in  art,  and  gave  force,  energy  and  power  to 
great  actors.  Electricity  silently  and  imperceptibly 
gathers  in  the  clouds  and  sends  forth  the  thunder-bolts. 
The  Cyclopean  forces  in  nature  that  work  in  the  deep 
cavern    laboratories  of  the  earth  create   the  earthquake 


I/O 

• 

and  pour  out  the  fiery  streams  of  the  volcano.  They 
have  changed  the  boundaries  of  continents,  furrowed  the 
earth  with  deep  valleys  and  upheaved  the  everlasting  hills. 
We  often  find  great  actors  possessing  great  intellect,  but 
their  thoughts  were  suggested  by  sudden  emergencies  and 
were  required  for  immediate  operations.  But  abstract 
thinkers  in  solitude  work  out  and  bring  to  light  in  proper 
connection  and  continuity  the  fundamental  truths  and 
principles  that  permanently  affect  human  action  and 
guide  and  control  the  various  elements  of  civilization. 

Cromwell  was  a  great  actor  and  practical  thinker,  and 
elevated  England  to  the  front  rank  among  nations,  but 
the  truths  and  principles  that  enlightened  his  mind, 
nerved  his  heart  and  strengthened  his  arm,  sprang  from 
the  brains  and  hearts  of  Luther,  Calvin,  Knox  and  Milton, 
and  were  by  them  derived  from  the  Bible.  Cromwell 
died  and  his  dynasty  passed  away,  but  the  truths  and 
principles  promulgated  by  the  great  thinkers  of  Prot- 
estantism lie  at  the  foundation  of  civil  and  religious 
freedom  and  are  the  intellectual  and  moral  motive  powers 
of  advancing  civilization. 

The  French  revolution  was  a  grand  political  and  moral 
volcano,  produced  by  the  struggles  between  antagonistic 
elements  of  thought  which  great  thinkers  had  infused 
into  French  society.  Napoleon  Boneparte  was  thrown 
to  the  surface  by  the  convulsive  throes  of  human  passion 
and  strife,  and  he  had  the  mental  power  and  physical 
courage  to  guide  for  a  time  the  desolating  streams  of  fire 
and  blood  that  swept  over  the  face  of  Europe;  but  he 
died  a  captive,  far  from  his  native  land,  in  a  lonely  island, 
beneath  skies  that  never  spread  their  glorious  beauties 
over  France,  and  the  wild  winds  alone  sang  his  requiem 
as  they  swept  the  harp  of  the  melancholy  ocean:  but 
the  great  truths  and  principles  of  civil  and  intellectual 
freedom  still  live  and  shake  the  thrones,  principalities 
and  powers  of  Europe.     Brave  and  experienced  generals 


may  marshal  armies  on  fields  of  carnage,  and  conquer 
kingdoms  which  they  have  deluged  with  blood  and  tears, 
but  it  is  the  student,  the  philosopher,  the  school  master, 
the  minister  of  God  and  the  enlightened  statesman  who 
form  aright  public  opinion  and  shape  the  destinies  of 
States,  and  produce  the  glorious  triumphs  and  perma- 
nent blessings  of  peace. 

In  the  fields  of  science  and  of  intellectual  culture  the 
great  thinkers  have  no  rivals  in  influence  and  fame. 
Bacon,  with  the  safety  lamp  of  experiment,  trod  with  firm 
and  cautious  steps  through  the  unexplored  labyrinths  of 
science,  and  taught  men  how  to  follow  his  footsteps.  He 
has  well  been  called  the  Luther  of  science,  as  he  led  the 
human  mind  from  the  dark  and  tangled  mazes  of  ancient 
and  scholastic  philosophy  into  the  clear  light,  and  pointed 
out  the  sure  pathway  to  the  shrines  of  scientific  truth. 

Copernicus,  Galileo  and  Newton  won  the  trophies  of 
knowledge  and  their  immortal  fame  in  the  silent  study 
where  on  the  strong  wings  of  thought  their  minds  soared 
to  the  illimitable  fields  of  the  celestial  world  and  brought 
down  to  earth  the  knowledge  which  they  had  learned 
amid  the  golden  stars.  I  might  mention  Watt,  Guttem- 
berg,  Faust,  Franklin,  Fulton,  Morse,  and  hundreds  of 
great  thinkers  who  have  conferred  inestimable  treasures 
of  knowledge  upon  the  world.  I  will  present  no  further 
illustrations.  The  facts  are  well  established  that  thought 
is  more  powerful  than  force,  "  the  pen  is  mightier  than 
the  sword."     The  great  thinkers  of  the  past  are 

"  The  dead  but  sceptred  sovereigns  who  sUll  rule 
Our  spirits  from  their  urns." 

The  Hebrew  law-givers,  prophets  and  bards  were  the 
first  great  thinkers  who  started 

"Those  thoughts  that  wander  through  eternity," 
and  produced   so   many  of  the  invaluable    blessings  of 


172 

Christian  civilization,  and  which  now  urge  mankind 
onward  to  a  higher,  nobler  and  more  spiritual  life. 

The  prophet  bards  were  not  only  great  thinkers,  but 
they  were  the  cheerful  and  exultant  harbingers  of  the 
brightest  hopes  of  humanity.  In  the  midst  of  the  moral 
darkness  and  misery  that  overshadowed  the  world  they 
saw  in  the  distant  future  the  bright  day  of  righteousness 
for  all  mankind.  The  first  prophecy  was  uttered  by  God 
in  Eden,  and  foretold  a  dark  and  sorrowful  life  for  man, 
and  it  also  contained  the  brightest  hope  of  the  world, 
which  sheds  its  light  over  the  succeeding  ages. 

Through  the  whole  period  of  Hebrew  history  this  day 
star  of  hope  cast  its  reviving  and  cheering  light  on  the 
prophecies  and  seemed  to  glow  with  effulgent  radiance  in 
the  writings  of  Isaiah.  The  Prophets  were  certainly  the 
morning  stars  of  human  hope,  as  they  sang  together,  and 
their  songs  were  repeated  in  higher  and  holier  strains  in 
the  "gloria  in  excelsis  "  of  the  heavenly  hosts  over  the 
plains  of  Bethlehem  at  the  birth   of  the  Prince  of  Peace. 

There  is  some  diversity  of  opinion  as  to  the  manner  in 
which  the  Prophets,  received  their  divine  communications 
and  originally  delivered  them.  In  the  Bible  we  find 
instances  in  which  such  communications  were  delivered 
by  an  audible  voice,  and  sometimes  in  visions  and  in 
dreams.  We  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  Prophets  had 
no  fixed  method  of  delivery.  They  spoke  when  and  where 
God  directed.  Sometimes  their  messages  were  delivered 
orally  and  in  the  very  ecstacies  of  inspiration.  Sometimes 
they  were  carefully  written  and  then  promulgated.  They 
were  generally  delivered  in  the  courts  of  the  temple,  in 
the  palaces  of  Kings  and  in  the  assemblies  of  the 
people.  The  books  of  the  Prophets  preserved  in  the 
sacred  canon  were  carefully  written  by  their  authors 
under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  These  books  did 
not  constitute  a  part  of  the  ritual  service  of  worship 
until  a  period  long  subsequent  to  the  Captivity,  but  they 


173 

were  read  and  explained  to  the  people  by  the  priests  and 
Levites  and  members  of  the  Schools  of  the  Prophets  who 
were  the  religious  instructors  before  the  exile.  The 
familiarity  of  the  people  with  these  sacred  books  must 
necessarily  have  promoted  their  intellectual  and  moral 
culture  and  operated  powerfully  upon  their  imaginations. 
No  nation  ever  lived  in  such  a  condition  of  expectancy 
and  hope  as  the  Hebrews,  and  this  feeling  was  increased 
by  the  prophet  bards.  They  believed  that  they  would 
not  only  receive  the  highest  temporal  and  spiritual  bless- 
ings for  themselves,  but  that  they  were  to  be  the  divine 
agents  for  bestowing  these  rich  beneficences  upon  all 
races  and  all  times. 


LECTURE  XIV. 


The  Prophets. 


We  propose  in  this  lecture  briefly  to  refer  to  the 
productions  of  some  of  the  chief  singers  in  the  grand 
prophetic  choir.  If  we  were  asked  to  describe  the  Alps 
we  would  first  allude  to  Mt.  Blanc,  the  monarch  of  those 
mountains.  Thus  we  will  select  Isaiah,  the  prince  among 
the  Prophets.  He  is  properly  styled  the  Evangelical 
Prophet,  as  he  so  harmoniously  blends  the  revelations  of 
the  Old  and  New  Dispensations. 

Among  his  brethren  he  was  like  Paul  among  the 
Apostles.  He  had  a  breadth  of  mental  grasp  that  was 
superhuman,  and  his  benign  catholicity  of  feeling  made 
him  love  all  the  races  of  men,  even  to  the  most  distant 
future.  He  foresaw  more  clearly  than  any  other  prophet 
the  remote  age  when  there  would  be  a  brotherhood  of 
nations, 

"  And  they  shall  beat  their  swords  into  plough-shares, 
And  their  spears  into  pruning  hooks, 
Nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword  against  nation, 
Neither  shall  they  learn  war  any  more:  " 

A  time  when  peace,  truth,  justice,  freedom  and  uni- 
versal righteousness  would  exist  in  the  grand  community 
of  races;  and  the  will  of  God  be  "done  on  earth,  even  as 
it  is  done  in  heaven." 

Isaiah  prophesied  for  more  than  sixty  years,  and  yet  there 
seems  to  have  been  no  abatement  in  his  genius.  It  shone 
forth  as  freshly  and  brilliantly  when  he  was  tremulous 
with  age  as  it  did  when  he  spoke  in  all  the  enthusiasm 
and  vehemence  of  youth.  There  is  an  incomparable 
dignity  of  sentiment  and  splendor  of  diction  in  his 
prophecies  which  have  won  the  admiration  even  of  scof- 


175 

fing-  infidels.  His  sublimity  of  thought  and  imagery  is 
truly  magnificent.  He  invoked  heaven  and  earth  as  the 
hearers  of  his  divine  messages,  as  if  they  were  almost  too 
grand  for  the  contemplation  of  the  human  mind.  In  his 
inspired  raptures  he  seems  to  have  mounted  on  a  chariot 
of  fire  and  ascended  to  those  rich  fields  of  poetic  thought 
which  mortal  foot  never  again  will  tread,  as  he  left  no 
mantle  behind  him  to  rest  upon  the  shoulders  of  a  suc- 
cessor. From  those  empyrean  heights  he  surveyed  the 
past  and  the  illimitable  future.  He  pictured  not  the  mere 
ideal  conceptions  of  genius,  but  the  visions  of  grand 
realities  as  seen  with  the  clear,  strong  eye  of  prophecy. 
Other  poets  wandered  back  through  the  dark  vistas  of 
the  past  to  the  treasure  fields  of  poetry  to  gather  the 
rich  gems  of  thought  and  glowing  pictures  of  the  sublime 
and  beautiful;  but  he  stood  upon  the  top  of  the  mountain 
of  the  Lord  and  saw  unveiled  a  grand  panorama  of  com- 
ing events.  He  saw  the  dark  doom  of  Israel,  the  Advent 
of  the  Messiah,  the  agonies  of  Gethsemane  and  the 
dread  tragedy  of  Calvary  when  the  Emaculate  One  was 
led  like  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter  and  opened  not  his 
mouth.  He  saw  the  Church  as  she  stood  with  lofty 
heroism  amidst  the  blood  and  fire  of  the  martyr  ages; 
as  she  struggled  for  existence  through  mediaeval  ignor- 
ance, superstition  and  bigotry;  and  then  the  dawning 
brightness  of  future  triumphs;  and  then  in  glorious  per- 
spective down  the  long  vista  of  the  centuries  caught 
glimpses  of  the  splendid  meridian  day  of  Christ's  millen- 
nial reign,  and  in  such  rapt  moments  heard  the  far  off 
music  of  the  songs  which  the  Seraphim  sing.  How 
appropriately  may  we  apply  to  this  prophet  one  of  his 
own  glorious  rhapsodies,  "  How  beautiful  upon  the 
mountains  are  the  feet  of  him  that  bringeth  good  tidings, 
that  publisheth  peace,  that  publisheth  salvation;  that 
saith  unto  Zion,  thy  God  reigneth." 

The  most  gifted  of  human  painters  will   never  be  able 


176 

to  copy  correctly  the  dawning  brightness  of  the  morning", 
the  gorgeous  splendors  of  the  evening,  or  the  silvery 
beauty  of  the  night,  all  glorious  with  moon,  planets  and 
stars.  With  his  skilful  pencil  of  art  he  cannot  catch  all 
the  gleaming  light  and  varying  shades  of  the  glowing 
landscape  which  God  has  spread  out  with  infinite  variety 
for  the  delight  and  enjoyment  of  His  creatures.  He  can- 
not picture  the  terrific  grandeur  of  the  storm  embroidered 
with  the  glittering  arabesques  of  the  lightning,  the  sub- 
limity of  God's  mountain  temples,  or  the  magnificence 
of  the  ocean  in  the  splendors  of  its  vastness  and  power. 
The  works  of  God  furnish  instruction,  guidance  and 
models  for  human  genius,  and  these  works  may  be  some- 
what imitated  but  never  equalled.  Thus  it  is  with  the 
poetry  of  Isaiah.  It  is  a  treasury  filled  with  gems  of 
thought  and  images  of  beauty  that  enrich  the  productions 
of  genius,  but  can  never  be  equalled  by  human  effort. 
His  lips  were  touched  by  the  Seraphim  with  a  live  coal 
from  off  the  altar.  In  style  as  well  as  thought  this  poetry 
is  sublime  and  inimitable.  It  is  like  the  swelling  billows 
of  the  ocean  that  roll  in  liquid  and  crystal  beauty  and 
inspire  the  mind  and  heart  with  feelings  of  grandeur  as 
they  flow  on  to  the  distant  and  unseen  shores  in  united 
strength,  majesty  and  power. 

JEREMIAH. 

Nowhere  within  the  range  of  human  literature  can  be 
found  such  touching  strains  of  grief,  such  pathos  of 
sorrow  as  those  which  the  mild  and  patriotic  Jeremiah 
uttered  while  weeping  over  the  desolation  of  Zion,  and 
for  the  slain  of  the  daughters  of  his  people — -"  for  the 
strong  staff  broken  and  the  beautiful  rod.  "  The  life  of 
this  Prophet  was  full  of  sadness  and  misfortune.  His 
gentle,  tender,  sensitive  and  loving  spirit  was  subjected 
to  the  sorest  trials.  With  intense  devotion  he  loved  his 
countrymen,  and  yet  they  treated  him  with  the  grossest 


177 

indignities,  scorn  and  cruelty.  His  country  was  torn 
asunder  by  internal  disorders,  and  he  foresaw  but  could 
not  avert  her  impending  doom.  He  witnessed  the  dese- 
cration and  destruction  of  the  magnificent  temple,  with  its 
consecrated  emblems  and  shrines  and  the  Holy  of  Holies. 
With  eyes  that  were  a  fountain  of  tears  he  beheld  the 
beautiful  city  of  his  fathers,  which  had  once  been  full  of 
people  and  a  princess  among  the  nations  as  she  sat  in 
sackcloth  and  solitude  upon  her  sacred  mountains,  mourn- 
ing for  the  sorrows  and  misfortunes  of  her  captive  and 
exiled  children.  The  Lamentations  are  the  weeping 
melodies  of  a  broken  heart  whose  shattered  but  still 
living  strings  vibrated  with  wailing  agonies.  They  have 
well  been  called  the  cygnian  strains  of  the  old  Hebrew 
muse  before  she  sank  into  the  silence  of  death  amidst  the 
ruins  of  Israel's  freedom  and  glory. 

EZEKIEL. 

Ezekiel  is  usually  and  properly  classed  as  one  of  the 
greater  Prophets.  He  was  truly  the  representative  of  the 
spirit  of  a  great  people  in  the  hours  of  their  sorest  trials 
and  adversities.  He  was  among  the  first  captives  who 
were  carried  into  exile  and  colonized  on  the  river  Chebar. 
Most  of  his  prophecy  was  written  in  the  interval  between 
the  capture  of  Jerusalem  and  the  subsequent  distruction 
of  the  temple  of  Solomon,  which  was  the  final  overthrow 
of  the  old  Hebrew  nationality.  In  natural  disposition 
and  spiritual  endowments  he  was  a  fine  type  of  the 
Hebrew  prophet  and  he  devoted  all  the  vigor  and  energy 
of  his  nature  to  his  great  work  of  instructing,  consoling 
and  guiding  his  fellow-countrymen.  The  character  of 
his  genius  and  style  of  composition  is  finely  portrayed  by 
Bishop  Lowth: 

"Ezekiel  is  much  inferior  to  Jeremiah  in  eloquence; 
in  sublimity  he  is  not  even  excelled  by  Isaiah;  but  his 
sublimity  is  of    a   totally   different   kind.     He   is    deep, 


l78 

vehement,  tragical:  the  only  sensation  he  affects  to  incite 
is  the  terrible;  his  sentiments  are  elevated,  fervid,  full  of 
fire,  indignant;  his  imagery  is  crowded,  magnificent, 
terrific,  sometimes  almost  to  disgust;  his  language  is 
pompous,  solemn,  austere,  rough  and  at  times  unpolished; 
he  employs  frequent  repetition,  not  for  the  sake  of  grace 
and  elegance,  but  from  the  vehemence  of  passion  and 
indignation.  " 

Bishop  Lowth  regards  Ezekiel  as  more  of  an  orator 
than  a  poet.  His  writings  are  certainly  deficient  in  the 
ease,  grace,  rythmical  elegance  and  varied  and  pleasing 
imagery  which  distinguished  the  productions  of  the  older 
Hebrew  bards.  His  visions  are  described  with  a  minute- 
ness of  detail  and  sharpness  of  outline  that  is  not  usual 
in  Hebrew  poetry  or  the  poetry  of  any  other  people. 
His  grand,  solemn  and  magnificent  visions  could  not  be 
depicted  without  some  of  the  glow  of  poetry — but  it 
shone  like  the  iridescent  spray  of  the  cataract  or  the 
phosphorescent  gleam  of  the  strong  ocean  billows. 
Bishop  Lowth  remarked  that  "  Isaiah,  Jeremiah  and 
Ezekiel,  as  far  as  relates  to  style,  may  be  said  to  hold  the 
same  rank  among  the  Hebrews,  as  Homer,  Simonides 
and  Eschylus  among  the  Greeks.  " 

Ezekiel  is  the  last  name  on  the  roll  of  the  great  Hebrew 
bards  and  his  strains  peal  forth  like  the  notes  of  a  trum- 
pet showing  that  his  free  spirit  could  never  be  enslaved. 
With  lofty  enthusiasm  he  revealed  the  dread  doom  of  the 
enemies  of  Israel  and  the  grand  and  glorious  destinies  of 
his  nation  and  of  future  generations.  The  closing  chap- 
ters of  EzekieTs  prophecy,  although,  not  poetical  in 
structure  and  language,  are  highly  poetical  in  imagery. 
His  vision  of  the  sanctuary,  and  of  the  mystical  river 
that  came  from  beneath  the  altar,  and  continued  to 
widen  and  deepen  as  it  flowed  onward,  healing  the  waters 
Of  the  sea  of  death,  fertilizing  the  desert,  carrying  life 
wherever  it  went  and  fringed  with  various  trees  of  fadeless 


179 

verdure  and  perpetual  fruitage,  glows  with  the  finest 
spirit  of  poetry.  The  scene  in  many  respects  resembles 
that  more  gloriously  beautiful  vision  of  the  celestial  city 
in  which  the  Angel  of  the  Apocalypse  showed  unto  the 
Beloved  Desciple  "a  pure  river  of  water  of  life,  clear  as 
crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the 
Lamb."  Ezekiel  was  a  noble  prophet  and  patriot  and 
his  mind  was  filled  with  grand  thoughts  and  sublime 
visions, but  he  did  not  always  express  them  in  the  rhythmic 
elegance  and  beauty  of  poetry. 

The  destruction  of  Solomon's  temple  with  its  sacred 
emblems  and  splendid  and  imposing  ceremonial  services 
seems  to  have  terminated  the  golden  age  of  Hebrew 
poetry.  Its  transient  and  flickering  glow  in  after  ages 
was  like  the  gleam  of  radiance  that  is  often  seen  on  the 
face  of  the  dying.  The  Captives  carried  the  Hebrew  lyre 
into  exile,  but  no  hand  save  Ezekiel's  ever  touched  its 
loftiest  chords  in  the  land  of  bondage.  It  hung  in  silence 
upon  the  willows,  and  sometimes  in  secret  its  plaintive 
melodies  were  awakened  when  the  captives  remembered 
Zion,  told  the  tale  of  their  sorrows  and  wept.  Most  of 
the  Captives  soon  forgot  the  majestic  and  musical  language 
which  once  sounded  forth  in  choral  gladness  and  gran- 
deur the  high  praises  of  Jehovah  and  the  beautiful  mem- 
ories and  imagery  of  the  Fatherland. 

Daniel  was  a  rwise  and  accomplished  courtier  and 
statesman,  but  he  was  not  a  poet.  To  him  the  future  was 
largely  revealed,  but  he  looked  upon  such  visions,  not 
with  the  vivid  enthusiasm  of  the  poet,  but  with  the  calm, 
discriminating  and  reverential  eye  of  a  devout  philoso- 
pher watching  the  progressive  development  of  human 
destiny.  When  we  compare  the  writings  of  Daniel  and 
most  of  the  book  of  Ezekiel  with  the  productions  of  the 
older  bards  and  prophets  of  Israel  we  are  reminded  of 
two  of  the  schools  of  modern  painting.  The  Flemish 
artists  in  their  great  productions  depict  natural  objects 


i8o 

and  ideal  conceptions  with  distinct  and  exact  outlines 
which  claim  admiration  for  the  skill  and  precision  of  art, 
but  they  excite  none  of  those  thrilling  and  elevating 
ecstacies  which  are  felt  while  gazing  at  the  softly  beautiful 
landscapes  of  Claude,  the  graceful  elegance  and  delicate 
finish  of  Correggio,  the  almost  divine  creations  of  Raphael 
and  the  morning  glories  and  sunset  splendors  of  Titian. 
Ezekiel,  however,  in  some  of  his  poetic  raptures  reminds 
the  lover  of  art  of  the  wild  passion  and  stern  grandeur  of 
Michael  Angelo. 

We  will  but  briefly  refer  to  the  productions  of  the 
Minor  Prophets  who  lived  before  the  Captivity.  They 
are  called  minor  prophets  on  account  of  the  brevity  and 
not  the  inferiority  of  their  writings.  With  the  exception 
of  Jonah  they  were  all  poets.  Most  of  them  were  men 
of  intellect  and  considerable  culture  for  their  age.  Bishop 
Lowth  says  that  even  the  prophet  from  the  sheepfolds, 
in  sublimity  and  magnificence  of  conception,  and  in 
splendor  of  diction  was  not  inferior  to  any  of  his  brethren. 
Their  range  of  vision  in  the  fields  of  prophecy  was  not 
as  extensive  as  that  of  Isaiah,  but  what  they  saw  was 
vivid  and  magnificent,  and  their  genius  was  kindled  into 
a  beaming  glow.  They  seem  to  have  spoken  very  little 
to  mankind,  but  they  spake  with  tongues  of  fire  in       •  ... 


a 


Thoughts  that  breathe  and  words  that  burn. " 


Nahum  deserves  a  separate  and  more  particular  refer- 
ence, as  he  was  a  poet  of  very  high  order.  His  ardent 
patriotism  seems  to  have  added  vigor,  boldness  and 
sublimity  to  his  genius,  and  elevated  his  strains.  His 
"  burden  of  Nineveh"  is  luminous  with  splendid  imagery 
and  rings  out  like  a  rapturous  triumphal  song  in  accom- 
paniment to  the  silver  trumpets  of  Israel. 

We  cannot  pass  in  silence  the  book  of  Habakkuk, 
especially  his  ode,  which  seems  to  condense  in  a  short 
compass  the  excellence  and  glory  of  prophetic  poetry. 


i8i 

From  the  realms  of  nature  and  the  various  sources  of 
human  feeling"  he  seems  to  have  extracted  the  very 
essence  of  poetry,  and  given  it  utterance  in  language  of 
varied  forms,  grand  then  tender,  sublime  then  beautiful, 
majestic  then  simple,  stern  and  strong,  and  then  flowing 
in  liquid  and  brilliant  harmonies. 

The  Prophets  of  the  Restoration  had  clear  and  bright 
hopes  of  the  long  expected  Messiah,  but  they  had  none 
of  the  sublime  spirit  of  poetry.  Their  light  was  like  the 
ruddy  glow  on  the  evening  cloud  when  the  sun  has  set, 
and  the  twilight  is  gathering  in  thickning  gloom  over  the 
valleys  and  the  hills.  Some  of  the  sweet  and  plaintive 
Psalms  are  supposed  to  have  been  written  after  the 
Captivity.  The  Old  Hebrew  lyre  had  hung  so  long  upon 
the  willows  of  Babylon  and  sighed  in  the  restless  winds 
that  its  loftiest  chords  were  broken,  and  when  the  few 
lingering  delicate  strings  were  touched  by  loving  hands 
they  only  breathed  forth  subdued  and  weeping  melodies, 
where  once  they  had  sounded  with  sublime  and  glorious 
rhapsodies. 

How  could  Judah  sing  the  songs  of  pride  and  rejoicing 
under  circumstances  of  such  deep  sadness.  A  little 
remnant  of  old  Israel  had  returned  from  long  and  painful 
captivity  and  servitude  to  their  fatherland,  desolated  by 
the  tread  of  the  stranger  and  full  of  rude  and  hostile 
aliens.  Ten  of  the  tribes  had  been  scattered  in  the  distant 
East  to  return  no  more,  and  half  of  Judah  and  Benjamin 
had  remained  in  the  homes  of  the  conquerors.  The  exiles 
had  forgotten  their  sacred  and  noble  language  and  could 
only  utter  the  harsh  and  rugged  accents  of  the  Aramaic 
tongue.  The  Ark  of  the  Covenant  was  gone;  the  light 
of  the  Shechinah  shone  no  more  above  the.mercy  seat,  the 
Urim  was  silent  and  the  celestial  fire  no  longer  blazed  upon 
the  brazen  altar.  No  wonder  the  priests,  Levites  and  old 
men  wept  as  they  stood  beside  the  foundations  of  the  new 
temple  and  remembered  Zion  in  her  former  glory. 


We  will  Hot  enter  into  the  history  of  the  post-exiliiart 
period  although  it  is  full  of  events  of  importance  and  of 
thrilling"  interest.  We  have  rejoiced  too  long  amidst 
the  light  and  beauty  of  the  free  intellectual  and 
poetic  life  of  the  Old  Hebrews  to  follow  their  descendants 
into  their  condition  of  sadness,  degeneracy  and  gloom. 
The  cohesiveness  of  the  race  was  greatly  lessened,  and 
thousands  of  Jews  voluntarily  sought  homes  in  the 
crowded  marts  of  Alexandria,  Antioch  and  other  cities 
of  the  Mediterranean.  The  people  became  divided  into 
various  religious  sects;  everywhere  local  synagogues 
furnished  convenient  places  of  worship,  and  thus  was 
greatly  weakened  the  vivifying  influence  of  the  temple 
service;  and  the  peace  of  the  feeble  and  tottering  State 
was  often  disturbed  by  internal  dissensions  and  civil  wars. 
The  Jews  were  in  the  midst  of  the  strifes  and  convulsions 
of  surrounding  nations,  and  were  often  swept  over  by 
the  angry  and  desolating  tides  of  conflict,  and  yet  they 
maintained  their  peculiar  civil  and  religious  institutions 
for  more  than  five  hundred  years  when,  as  a  nation  they 
were  completely  overwhelmed  and  dispersed  by  the 
relentless  power  of  Rome.  But  the  light  of  their  genius 
was  not  quenched,  and  the  seeds  of  their  civilization  were 
carried  on  the  currents  of  time  to  all  lands,  where  they 
germinated  and  added  to  the  rich,  moral  and  intellectual 
harvests  of  succeeding  ages.  The  Jewish  state  has  been 
appropriately  and  vividly  compared  to  a  ship — mastless 
and  rudderless,  "tossed  in  the  trough  of  the  sea,"  its 
destruction  continually  threatened  by  the  surging  billows, 
and  at  last  completely  overwhelmed  and  its  rich  cargo 
scattered  with  the  fragments  of  the  wreck  on  the  wild 
waves  to  be  carried  by  currents  and  the  restless  winds; 
and  stranded  upon  every  island  and  every  shore. 

The  saddest  but  not  least  instructive  chapters  in  history 
are  those  which  record  the  declension  and  downfall  of 
nations.     The  existence  of  nations  has  often  been  com- 


183 

pared  to  the  changing  periods  of  a  day.  Nations  have 
the  misty  glories  of  the  morning,  the  splendors  of  the 
noontide  and  the  varying  hues  of  the  setting  sun,  then 
they  melt  into  the  gloaming  of  the  twilight  and  some 
darken  into  the  almost  impenetrable  gloom  of  the 
oblivious  midnight. 

The  life  of  Greece  was  a  brilliant  day  illumined  with 
the  light  of  genius  and  cultivated  taste,  and  although  her 
national  power  has  passed  away,  still  the  golden  glories 
of  her  intellectual  sun-light    beam  in  an  after-glow    of 
radiant  beauty  round  her  tomb. 

The  long  and  eventful  life  history  of  Rome  was  a  day  of 
military  power  and  intellectual  achievements  and  had 
the  sublimity  and  splendors  of  the  storm,  and  was  closed 
with  the  fierce  tempests  of  Gothic  invasion,  which  was 
followed  by  the  murky  darkness  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

The  day  of  Hebrew  national  life  dawned  in  mild  and 
quiet  beauty  among  the  hills  of  Palestine  and  shed  its 
celestial  brightness  amidst  shifting  shadows  and  varying 
clouds  for  more  than  ten  centuries,  and  then  the  gloomy 
hours  of  the  evening  began  with  the  Babylonish  Captivity, 
and  then  for  four  hundred  years  came  the  deep  brooding 
twilight,  when  a  new  sun  rose  upon  the  dark  rim  of  the 
horizon  to  begin  a  new  day  that  will  never  close  in  night, 
but  continue  to  brighten  the  moral  and  intellectual  world, 
carrying  light,  life  and  joy  unto  all  the  races  of  men,  until 
it  blends  with  the  effulgent  and  eternal  day  of  Heaven. 

The  poetry  of  the  Hebrews  sprang  from  the  soul  of 
their  free  national  and  religious  life,  and  when  they 
became  captives  and  slaves  they  seemed  not  to  have 
breathed  its  highest  inspirations.  But  the  notes  of 
majestic  and  pathetic  harmony  which  once  sounded  from 
the  Old  Hebrew  lyre  is  as  immortal  as  the  music  of  the 
spheres,  and  has  swelled  through  the  centuries  of  the  past, 
and  elevated  and  ennobled  human  thought  in  every  age, 
and  thrilled  with  joy  and  hope  the  hearts  of  mankind. 


LECTURE  XV. 


Some  of  the  Characteristics  of  Hebrew  Poetry. 


In  this  lecture  I  propose  to  refer  again  to  some  of  the 
characteristics  of  Hebrew  poetry,  to  which  I  have  here- 
tofore only  briefly  and  incidentally  alluded. 

I  will  not  enter  into  the  intricate  mazes  of  theology  or 
attempt  to  expound  and  interpret  the  profound  oracles  of 
divine  truth.  Neither  will  I  present  many  quotations  of 
beautiful  phrases  and  verses  from  the  Bible.  I  will  not 
make  selections  of  jewels  of  thought  from  the  rich  casket 
which  you  all  have  in  your  homes.  I  will  not  give  you 
cups  of  sparkling  water,  when  you  can  so  readily  refresh 
and  invigorate  your  minds  and  hearts  by  drinking  at  the 
living  fountains. 

An  obvious  characteristic  of  Hebrew  poetry  is  concen- 
tration of  thought.  In  it  we  find  no  elaborate  discussion 
of  a  theme,  no  minute  description  of  a  scene.  It  often 
repeats  and  amplifies  a  sentiment  in  different  words,  but 
the  language  is  always  sententious  and  glowing.  The 
illumination  which  it  throws  upon  many  obscure  subjects 
is  like  the  quick  and  vivid  flashes  of  the  lightning  at 
night  which  for  a  moment  reveal  every  object  in  the 
range  of  vision  with  the  intensity  of  electric  light. 
Many  of  the  natural  objects  thus  revealed  by  the  light- 
ning are  at  once  recognized  and  comprehended  by  the 
beholder,  while  others  are  like  shadowy  phantoms, 
vanishing  in  succeeding  gloom,  which  the  clear  and 
steady  light  of  the  ensuing  day  discloses  as  real  objects 
of  utility  and  beauty. 

Thus  there  are  many  truths  by  the  Hebrew  bards  which 
when  first  uttered  found  their  way  to  the  minds  and  hearts 


i85 

of  the  hearers,  while  others  seemed  grand  and  shadowy 
and  inspired  feelings  of  indefinable  reverence  and  awe. 
Many  of  these  old  mysteries  have  been  cleared  away  by 
the  revelations  and  teachings  of  the  Gospel  and  by  the 
events  of  succeeding  ages.  We  feel  well  assured  that 
the  time  will  come  when  every  page  and  verse  of  Moses 
and  the  Prophets  will  glow  with  the  clear  light  of  truth 
and  with  immortal  beauty  to  the  believing  mind  and 
pious  heart  as  they  did  to  the  fervid  hearts  of  Cleopas  and 
his  companion  as  they  walked  and  talked  with  the  risen 
Christ  on  the  way  to  Emmaus. 

There  are  verses  in  the  Bible  which  seem  to  be  concen- 
trated expressions  of  thought  and  feeling,  never  losing  or 
diminishing  in  vividness  and  beauty.  Many  of  these 
verses  have  furnished  materials  and  suggestions  for 
numerous  songs,  poems  and  sermons,  and  still  they  have 
not  been  exhausted  of  their  rich  and  abounding  fullness. 
Like  the  widow's  cruse  of  oil  and  handful  of  meal  they 
ever  furnish  the  bread  of  life. 

Hebrew  poetry  has  a  wonderful  power  and  facility  of 
adapting  itself  to  the  mental  and  moral  capacities  of  all 
classes  of  men  and  to  every  condition  of  life.  While  it 
furnishes  rich  thoughts,  sublime  imagery  and  profound 
wisdom  to  the  highest  and  most  cultivated  intellect,  it 
also  whispers  consolation  and  joy  to  the  ignorant  and  the 
lowly.  It  is  like  the  sunshine  which  not  only  enters  the 
carved  casements  of  palaces  and  the  stained  windows  of 
gorgeous  cathedrals,  but  also  pours  its  joyous  and  inspir- 
ing light  and  warmth  over  the  wild  and  solitary  landscape 
and  through  the  cracks  of  the  cottage,  and  everywhere 
spreads  beauty,  fertility  and  gladness.  We  can  account 
for  this  universality  of  influence  in  Hebrew  poetry  in  no 
other  way  than  by  believing  that  it  is  animated  by  the 
spirit  of  an  all-wise,  beneficent  and  omnipotent  Creator. 

Any  one  at  all  familiar  with  the  literary  productions  of 
Christian  nations  will  be  forcibly  struck  with  the  pene- 


1 86 

trating  and  permeating  power  of  Hebrew  thought  and 
language.  You  can  scarcely  read  any  book  which 
teaches  moral  and  physical  truths  which  does  not  contain 
apt  and  forcible  quotations  and  illustrations  from  the  Old 
Testament.  Even  in  works  of  fiction  some  of  their  most 
brilliant  passages  are  tinged  with  the  coloring  of  the  old 
Hebrew  mind.  We  find  the  gems  of  Hebrew  thought 
and  language  giving  force  and  beauty  to  grand  orations 
which  electrified  Senates  and  forums  or  sounded  from  the 
tribune  and  roused  the  enthusiasm  of  the  people  and 
controlled  the  destinies  of  States.  In  all  the  intercourse 
of  social,  public  and  domestic  life  we  continually  hear  or 
use  passages  from  the  Old  Testament  which  point  an 
argument,  illustrate  a  proposition,  call  up  some  sweet 
memory,  brighten  some  hope,  purify  some  affection  and 
elevate  our  noblest  emotions.  There  are  many  verses  in 
the  Bible  which  like  seraph  voices  seem  to  pervade  the 
intellectual  and  moral  world.  Many  of  these  verses  are  in 
themselves  complete  poems,  and  when  recited  alone 
teach  important  moral  and  spiritual  truths,  and  although 
these  various  verses  may  be  upon  different  subjects  there 
exists  between  them,  the  most  perfect  harmony.  We 
may  not  be  familiar  with  all  these  little  poems,  but  when 
we  first  hear  them  we  have  no  difficulty  in  recognizing 
them  as  parts  of  the  Bible,  as  they  all  breathe  its  divine 
spirit.  They  are  like  certain  sea-shells  which  anywhere 
and  everywhere  will  murmur  the  music  of  their  ocean 
home.  There  are  many  golden  texts  of  scripture  which 
linger  in  our  hearts  like  strains  of  unforgotten  melody 
and  are  associated  with  loved  accents  heard  no  more  on 
earth  but  which,  we  believe,  are  mingling  with  the  choirs 
of  Heaven.  Day  by  day,  and  year  by  year,  we  may 
gather  these  pearls  and  golden  grains  of  divine  truth  and 
lay  them  up  in  the  treasuries  of  mind  and  heart,  but  as 
we  grow  holier  and  wiser,  we  will  feel  like  the  great 
father  of  modern  astronomy  when  he  said  "  I  have  picked 


1 8; 

up  a  few  pebbles  on  the  strand,  but  the  ocean  is  still  to 
explore.  " 

One  of  the  highest  evidences  of  the  power  and  excel- 
lency of  poetry,  is  the  influence  which  it  has  had  in 
hallowing  and  immortalizing  the  scenes,  events  and 
localities  to  which  it  has  referred.  The  proud  towers  of 
Ilium  were  prostrated  in  the  dust  and  the  remnants  of 
the  nation  scattered  in  exile  over  the  earth,  before  the 
periods  of  authentic  history  but  the  Iliad  and  /Eneid 
have  given  the  heroes  of  Troy  and  its  mound  of  ruins  a 
classic  immortality.  Athens  and  republican  and  imperial 
Rome  still  live  in  the  eloquence  and  songs  of  their  chil- 
dren, and  have  received  the  veneration  of  twenty 
centuries.  Scott  and  Burns  have  thrown  around  their 
rugged  country  a  halo  of  rhythmic  glory  and  made  Scot- 
land dear  to  the  hearts  of  the  civilized  world.  They 
have  made  her  old  kirks  and  ruined  castles,  her  placid 
lakes  and  shadowy  glens;  her  flowery  braes  and  misty 
moorlands,  her  iieathery  hills  and  rude  highlands — 
"  haunted  and  holy  ground;"  while  her  rushing  streams, 
wimpling  burns  and  singing  birds  seem  ever  repeating 
the  melodies  of  her  matchless  bards. 

The  intelligent  tourist  as  he  passes  along  the  castled 
Rhine  or  gazes  upon  the  cloud  capped  Alps  feels  his 
imagination  glowing  with  the  inspiration  with  which 
poetry  has  enchanted  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  nature. 
The  pride  and  power  of  Venice  have  passed  away,  the 
fame  of  her  Doges  has  been  forgotten,  stately  argosies 
fill  not  her  marts  with  the  wealth  and  luxury  of  every 
clime,  and  her  costly  palaces  no  longer  gleam  in  magnifi- 
cence and  resound  with  strains  of  festal  joy,  but  poetry 
and  art  have  wreathed  her  brow  with  fadeless  immortelles 
as  in  poverty  and  decay  she  rests  in  indolent  repose  on 
the  bosom  of  her  bridegroom  sea,  and  dreams  only  of 
her  former  glories.  I  might  refer  to  numerous  other  facts 
for  the  purpose  of  showing  the  hallowing  and  immortal- 


i88 

izing  influence  of  poetry,  but  they  will  readily  suggest 
themselves  to  your  minds  so  familiar  with  the  history  of 
literature. 

If  we  judge  the  writings  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments by  this  standard  of  excellence  we  will  find  that 
they  far  exceed  all  the  productions  of  human  genius. 
They  have  immortalized  every  land  to  which  they  have 
referred.  They  have  kept  ancient  Nineveh,  Babylon  and 
Tyre  from  the  graves  of  oblivion,  and  thrown  a  hallowing 
charm  over  Egypt  and  the  Nile,  over  the  desolate 
mountains  and  barren  sands  of  Arabia,  over  the  ruins  of 
Palmyra  and  the  gardens  of  Damascus. 

The  ruthless  Roman  destroyed  the  temple  of  Zion, 
levelled  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  persecuted 
remnants  of  Israel  have  been  scattered  like  dust  before 
the  whirlwind;  and  for  eighteen  hundred  years  Palestine 
has  been  the  Aceldama  of  nations;  the  home  of  poverty, 
suffering  and  sorrow,  of  injustice,  ignorance  and  oppres- 
sion; but  still  it  is  the  Holy  Land,  sacred  to  Mohamme- 
dan, Jew  and  Christian,  and  the  names  of  its  towns  and 
cities,  its  hills  and  vales,  mountains  and  plains,  rivers 
and  seas,  groves  and  fountains  are  dear  familiar  household 
words  in  every  clime  where  the  Bible  has  been  read, 
honored  and  loved. 

Another  striking  characteristic  of  Hebrew  literature, 
to  which  I  have  already  incidentally  alluded,  is,  its 
marked  and  distinctive  individuality,  which  is,  in  a  great 
degree,  preserved  even  in  its  translation  into  other 
languages.  A  German  book  translated  into  English 
may  readily  be  mistaken  by  the  general  reader  as  the  pro- 
duction of  an  English  mind.  An  accomplished  philologist 
may  be  able  to  discern  some  shades  of  thought  or  some 
idiomatic  expressions  peculiar  to  the  fader  land,  but  in  the 
general  mass  of  literature  the  book  loses  its  individuality. 
It  is  not  so  with  the  Bible.  No  philological  research  and 
acuteness  are  required  to  detect  Bible  thought  and  Ian- 


1 89 

guage.  They  may  be  introduced  into  every  species  of 
literature  and  give  it  force  and  beauty,  but  they  never  so 
completely  commingle  as  to  lose  their  characteristic 
identity.  Bible  expressions  require  no  quotation  marks 
to  distinguish  them.  The  Hebrew  style  of  thought  and 
expression  always  remain  as  peculiar  and  distinct  among 
literatures  as  the  Hebrew  race  among  other  peoples. 

The  Jews  mingle  among  all  other  peoples  and  yet 
they  preserve  a  personal  identity  which  distinguishes 
them  as  the  seed  of  Abraham.  With  the  exception  of 
parts  of  the  books  of  Ezra  and  Daniel,  which  were 
written  in  Chaldee,  there  is  a  wonderful  similitude  of 
thought  and  modes  of  expression  among  the  writers  of 
the  Old  Testament  which  were  preserved  for  more  than 
a  thousand  years  through  all  of  the  eventful  periods  of 
Hebrew  history.  Some  of  the  writers  were  more  highly 
gifted  than  others  in  inspiration  and  natural  genius,  and 
the  style  (3f  some  was  more  elegant  and  rhythmical  than 
that  of  others,  but  there  were  very  few  dialectical  differ- 
ences in  the  construction  of  the  language,  and  the 
vocabulary  was  not  much  enlarged  and  enriched.  The 
written  language  seems  to  have  been  developed  in 
force  and  vigor  from  the  time  it  was  first  used  by  Moses 
and  Job.  In  the  times  of  David  and  Solomon  it  was 
somewhat  improved  in  elegance  and  refinement  by  the 
superior  genius  of  those  princes  and  the  master-singers 
of  the  temple— Asaph,  Heman  and  Jeduthan — and  in  the 
age  of  the  later  prophets  it  manifested  some  feebleness 
and  decline,  but  during  its  existence  as  a  living  language 
it  remained  unchanged  in  its  essential  elements.  The 
reasons  which  produced  this  similitude  of  style  and 
preserved  the  language  from  material  changes  must  be 
obvious  to  all  persons  familiar  with  Hebrew  history  and 
the  distinctive  characteristics  of  the  people. 

This    unchangeableness   of    language   and    modes    of 
thought  does  not  exist  in  the  same  degree  in  any  other 


19° 

national  literature.  The  writings  of  Chauser  differ 
from  the  productions  of  Tennyson,  and  the  literatures  of 
the  intervening"  periods  distinctly  show  a  dissimilarity  of 
thought  and  language,  and  are  filled  with  the  peculiar 
characteristics  of  the  several  ages  in  which  they  were 
written.  The  people  in  those  several  ages  differed  as 
widely  in  manners  and  customs  as  in  their  literatures. 
It  was  not  so  with  the  Hebrews.  The  Hebrews  of  the 
exodus,  in  most  respects,  were  like  the  Hebrews  who 
went  into  Captivity.  Among  the  Jews  of  the  present 
day,  dwelling  in  every  land,  there  is  a  striking  physical 
and  moral  resemblance.  A  true  personal  description  of 
a  Jew  of  the  Middle  Ages  would  suit  the  Jew  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  and  we  have  reasons  for  believing 
that  in  either  age  he  was  in  many  respects  similar  to  the 
people  who  followed  Joshua  into  Canaan. 

The  Bedouins  of  the  desert  have  retained  the  marked 
peculiarities  of  the  sons  of  Ishmael  for  four  thousand 
years  and  the  same  destiny  has  been  accorded  to  the 
Isaaic  descendants  of  Abraham.  The  Ishmaelites,  dwel- 
ling amidst  the  fastnesses  and  dreary  desolation  of  the 
desert,  were  inaccessible  to  the  revolutionary  influences 
of  surrounding  nations;  but  the  Jews  have  been  among 
all  people,  passed  through  the  countless  revolutions  of 
decades  of  centuries,  and  while  most  of  the  other  ancient 
races  have  been  commingled,  by  conquests  and  other 
causes,  and  formed  into  new  peoples,  the  Jews  have 
preserved  their  national  peculiarities.  Thus  the  books  of 
the  Old  Testament,  which  have  been  translated  into  so 
many  different  languages  and  been  scattered  over  the 
whole  earth,  are  the  same  in  substance  and  spirit  as  when 
read  before  the  Tabernacle,  in  the  temples  of  Solomon, 
of  Zerubbabel  and  of  Herod,  and  in  the  Churches  of 
Christendom  for  eighteen  hundred  revolutionary  cen- 
turies. God  has  preserved  His  Word  with  the  same  care, 
that  He  has  preserved  the  identity  of  his  Works. 


191 

The  Heavenly  hosts  that  poured  the  glory  of  their 
primal  light  over  Eden,  and  upon  which  the  Chaldean 
Magi  gazed  in  reverent  worship,  have  ever  kept  their 
unvarying  orbits  and  shone  with  their  unchanging 
splendors.  Thus  His  Word  to  His  spiritual  Israel  of 
every  age  and  every  race  is  the  same  in  substance  and 
spirit  as  that  which  He  spoke  to  His  chosen  people  whom 
He  so  long  guarded  and  blessed  in  the  Holy  Land. 

In  the  literary  structure  of  the  Old  Testament  there 
are  commingled  human  and  divine  elements  which 
specially  adapt  it  for  purposes  of  instruction  and  guidance 
to  mankind.  The  Bible  is  the  inspired  Word  of  God, 
written  by  holy  men;  but  the  language  in  which  it  is 
written  is  human  speech,  and  the  symbols,  metaphors 
and  illustrations  used  by  the  authors  were  derived  from 
history,  from  the  events  of  ordinary  life  and  from  familiar 
natural  objects.  We  cannot  disintegrate  this  mysterious 
combination  of  divinity  and  humanity,  and  separate  by 
any  accurate  analysis  these  different  elements.  God  has 
joined  them  in  harmonious  union  and  man  cannot  put 
them  asunder.  We  know  the  combination  exists,  that 
it  was  effected  by  the  Holy  Spirit  and  was  intended  for 
wise  and  beneficent  purposes. 

The  incarnation  of  our  Saviour  and  His  love,  sympathy 
and  sorrow  for  man  and  His  constant  practice  of  the 
beautiful  human  virtues  make  Him  so  dear  and  lovely 
to  the  Christian  heart,  "  God  manifest  in  the  flesh"  is  a 
sublime  mystery,  which  not  even  the  angels  comprehend, 
but  still  this  inscrutable  mystery  is  full  of  consolation,  joy 
and  hope  to  all  believers. 

We  cannot  understand  the  Trinity  in  Unity  which  we 
believe  to  exist  in  the  Godhead.  We  cannot  tell  how 
the  spiritual,  moral,  mental  and  physical  natures  of  man 
are  commingled  into  the  great  and  harmonious  problem 
of  life.  We  cannot  fathom  the  mysterious  purposes  and 
providences  of  God  as   He  controls  the  destines  of  men 


•  I 


192 

and  nations.  There  are  thousands  of  mysterious  combi- 
nations of  different  elements  in  the  economy  of  nature 
which  we  do  not,  and  never  can  understand,  and  yet  we 
recognize  their  existence  and  experience  their  bene- 
ficence, and  feel  that  they  are  the  works  of  God.  The 
Bible  has  many  sublime  mysteries  which  we  cannot 
solve,  but  it  is  so  full  of  pictures  of  human  life  accurately 
delineated,  and  it  contains  so  many  blessed  truths  that 
impress  themselves  with  living  power  upon  our  minds 
and  hearts,  and  which  are  so  fully  sustained  by  our 
observation  and  experience,  that  we  receive  these  mys- 
teries with  strong-  and  holy  faith  and  heed  all  the 
teachings  as  the  Word  of  God.  We  cannot  reasonably 
expect  the  finite  mind  to  grasp  the  infinitude  of  God 
and  fully  comprehend  Him  in  His  word  or  in  His  works 
as  He  controls  the  illimitable  universe  by  plans  and  pur- 
poses which  exist  from  the  eternity  of  the  past  and 
through  the  eternity  of  the  future. 

There  is  an  immortal  vitality  and  power  in  the  Bible 
which  has  preserved  it  through  every  danger  and  will 
make  it  completely  triumphant  over  every  obstacle. 
Those  who  fear  that  its  influence  will  be  overcome  by 
human  error  have  somewhat  the  timid  spirit  of  the 
Spies  who  dreaded  the  earthly  power  of  the  sons  of 
Anak,  when  the  everlasting  arms  and  sheltering  wings 
of  Jehovah  were  around  and  above  His  people  Israel. 
When  we  know  what  wonderful  achievements  the  Bible 
has  already  made,  and  what  difficulties  and  dangers  it 
has  already  successfully  encountered,  why  should  we 
have  doubts  as  to  its  future  progress,  when  so  many 
increased  facilities  for  its  rapid  advancement  and  diffusion 
are  daily  brought  into  operation  by  an  overruling  Provi- 
dence ?  God  has  manifested  His  goodness  and  power 
in  every  period  of  history — His  shining  footprints  are  on 
all  the  sands  of  time,  and  shall  we  fear  that  He  will 
desert  His  people  in  their  future  progress   and  suffer  the 


*93 

influences  of  His  Word  to  be  overcome  by  the  powers  of 
darkness.  His  word  is  clothed  with  the  immortal  armor 
of  divine  truth  and  can  never  be  destroyed. 

We  have  a  strong  and  abiding  faith  in  the  continued 
progress  of  intellectual,  moral  and  spiritual  development. 
We  concur  in  none  of  the  gloomy  forebodings  of  those 
who  would  induce  us  to  believe  that  our  Christian  civili- 
zation will  retrograde  and  may  some  day  become  extinct. 
The  history  of  the  world  shows  that  all  the  changes  and 
revolutions  of  the  past  have  been  but  preparatory  for 
future  events.  Age  has  been  linked  to  age,  and  in  the 
struggles  between  good  and  evil  which  have  existed  .in 
all  times  we  can  trace  the  slow  but  gradual  development 
of  God's  moral  government.  There  have  been  many 
dark  eddies  in  the  stream  of  human  progress,  but  they 
seem  to  have  added  force  and  volume  to  the  current  in 
its  onward  flow,  and  is  like  a  great  river  which  grows 
broader,  deeper  and  more  majestic  as  it  approaches  the 
sea.  If  the  governments  and  institutions  of  the  ancient 
world  have  been  destroyed  we  can  readily  understand 
the  causes  which  produced  such  results.  The  civiliza- 
tions of  the  ancient  nations — with  the  exception  of  the 
Hebrews — were  founded  in  systems  of  force,  wrong  and 
oppression.  Their  governments  were  built  up  and 
sustained  by  the  sword  and  they  perished  by  the  sword. 
Their  social  institutions  were  structures  built  upon  the 
sand  and  have  been  swept  away  by  the  floods  of  time. 

These  ancient  systems  of  civilization  acted  and  reacted 
upon  each  other,  overturning  empires  and  forming  out  of 
their  ruins  new  political  organizations,  which  were  again 
subverted  by  disasters  until  absolute  despotism  over  all 
mankind  was  established  in  the  Roman  Empire — the 
embodiment  of  violence,  injustice  and  oppression — and 
from  the  dark  deluge  which  overwhelmed  this  gigantic 
power  sprang  the  modern  world. 

We  will  not  attempt  even  a  sketch  of  the  long  conflict 


194 

between  ancient  and  Christian  civilizations.  Both  seemed 
to  be  engulfed  in  the  barbarism  of  the  Middle  Ages, 
but  they  were  not  completely  destroyed.  They  both 
came  forth  purified  from  the  terrible  ordeal,  and  all  the 
elements  of  ancient  civilization  worth  preserving  now 
adorn  and  give  vigor  to  human  advancement.  The 
Reformation  enunciated  the  higher  and  purer  spiritual 
doctrines  of  Christianity  and  also  the  great  and  divine 
truths  of  civil,  intellectual  and  religious  freedom,  which 
in  some  nations  have  been  firmly  established  and  in 
others  they  are  still  struggling  with  sure  hopes  of  ulti- 
mate triumph. 

The  principles  of  Christian  civilization  are  derived 
from  God's  word,  and  they  will  endure  as  long  as  the 
everlasting  hills  which  God  has  placed  upon  the  granite 
foundations  of  the  earth.  The  human  mind  has  been 
emancipated  by  divine  truth  and  can  never  again  be 
enslaved;  but  will  continually  advance  in  enlightenment 
and  power.  Force,  ignorance,  injustice  and  oppression 
may  still  for  a  time  darken  the  destiny  of  the  human 
race,  but  they  will  pass  away  before  the  continually 
increasing  influences  of  Christian  civilization. 

In  looking  back  over  the  history  of  human  progress 
we  have  seen  the  misty,  then  ruddy  twilight  of  the  dawn, 
we  have  seen  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  rising  amidst  the 
lurid  storms  of  the  morning,  slowly  scattering  the  dark 
clouds  and  lulling  the  fierce  winds,  and  now  we  can  look 
with  the  calm  confidence  of  faith  upon  the  more  tranquil 
azure  of  advancing  day,  and  may  we  not  hope  that  our 
posterity  will,  at  no  distant  age,  dwell  amidst  the  bright- 
ness of  the  unclouded  noon. 


LECTURE  XVI. 


The  Uninspired  Poetry  of  the  Hebrews.  The 
Jews  in  History.  Their  Return  to  the  Holy 
Land.  

In  preceding  lectures  we  have  very  briefly  and  imper- 
fectly considered  some  of  the  characteristics  of  Hebrew 
literature.  We  fully  believe  that  the  Bible,  written  by 
the  Hebrews  and  their  Jewish  descendants,  is  the  primal 
source  of  true  statesmanship  and  every  wise  system  of 
laws.  It  is  the  Magna  Charta  of  human  liberty  and  the 
great  peace-maker  among  men  and  nations.  It  binds 
society  together  by  the  ties  of  social  charities  and  the 
kindly  feelings  of  brotherhood.  It  kindles  and  keeps 
active  the  fires  of  love  on  the  home  altars  and  fills  the 
sorrowing  heart  with  hope  and  joy.  It  is  the  chief  teacher 
of  refined  and  elegant  culture  and  the  repository  of  the 
most  pathetic  and  sublime  poetry,  and  has  exerted  the 
highest  influence  upon  the  advancement  of  the  civiliza- 
tion of  mankind. 

Although  the  Old  Testament  is  so  full  of  inestimable 
truths,  so  rich  in  thought  and  wisdom  and  so  much 
adorned  with  eloquence  and  poetry,  we  can  but  regret 
that  the  entire  mass  of  Hebrew  literature  has  not  come 
down  to  our  age.  We  have  sufficient  evidence  for  believ- 
ing that  the  Old  Testament  contains  but  a  small  poition 
of  the  rich,  extensive  and  varied  literature  of  the  Hebrews 
that  once  cultivated  the  minds  and  enriched  the  thoughts 
and  imaginations  of  the  early  oriental  nations.  We 
eannot  be  surprised  at  the  scarcity  of  the  literary  remains 
of  this  ancient  people  when  we  remember  that  oblivion 
rests  upon  so  much  of  the  literatures  of  other  nations  of 
a  subsequent  age  who  were  more  closely  connected  with 


196 

the  history  of  modern  times.  We  possess  comparatively 
few  of  the  productions  of  Grecian  and  Roman  genius. 
The  fable  of  the  Sibyl  seems  to  represent  the  fate  of  an- 
cient literature,  of  which  only  a  few  precious  volumes  have 
been  left  for  the  instruction  and  delight  of  mankind. 
The  rude  hands  of  the  Vandal  and  Goth  not  only  over- 
turned many  of  the  palaces  and  temples  of  ancient 
Rome,  but  also  destroyed  a  large  portion  of  the  treasures 
of  ancient  learning,  art  and  poetry.  We  are  informed 
that  the  Alexandrian  library  contained  seven  hundred 
thousand  volumes,  which  the  torch  of  Omar  scattered  in 
ashes  over  the  desert.  In  every  literature  there  were 
thousands  of  the  productions  of  the  human  mind  which 
exerted  a  beneficent  influence  in  their  age  which  have 
been  lost  forever  in  the  whelming  tides  of  time. 

We  may  well  believe  that  a  people  as  highly  intellec- 
tual and  imaginative  as  the  Hebrews,  with  such  a  rich 
store  of  legendary  memorials,  and  surrounded  by  so 
many  influences  which  have  produced  poetic  inspirations 
in  other  nations,  must  have  had  many  odes  and  songs 
commemorative  of  past  history,  legends  and  traditions  that 
existed  among  them  during  the  period  of  their  national  life. 

Where  are  the  thousand  and  five  songs  which  Solomon 
wrote  ?  Where  are  many  of  the  sublime  utterances  of 
Elijah  and  Elisha  and  other  prophets  who  guided  and 
instructed  Israel  ?  The  "  Schools  of  the  Prophets  "  were 
schools  of  poetry,  music  and  polite  learning,  and  must 
have  produced  many  songs  and  poems  of  the  highest 
excellence.  Where  are  the  simple  and  soothing  lullabies 
of  childhood,  the  joyous  epithalamiums  of  the  marriage 
feast  and  the  sweet  harmonies  of  the  happy  home  ? 
Where  are  the  plaintive  elegies  with  which  affection 
consecrated  the  graves  of  the  loved  and  lost  ?  Where 
are  the  cheering  songs  of  the  vintage  and  harvest  home, 
and  the  soul  stirring  odes  with  which  patriotism  celebrat- 
ed the  triumphs  of  national  valor  ? 


i97 

The  simple  shepherd  must  have  carolled  many  a  sweet 
pastoral  song  as  he  sat  beneath  the  fig-tree  or  spreading 
vine  and  watched  the  sportive  gambols  of  the  lambs  of 
his  flock  and  the  lambs  of  his  household  upon  the  beau- 
teous greensward  near  the  crystal  fountain. 

The  ardent  Hebrew  lover  must  have  sung  many  a  soul 
stirring  lyric  as  he  wooed  the  warm-hearted  daughter  of 
Shem;  and  the  silence  of  the  hazy  twilight  must  often 
have  been  broken  by  the  tender  lays  of  the  dark-eyed 
maiden  of  Israel,  as  like  a  nightengale,  she  breathed 
the  minstrelsy  of  love  upon  the  balmy  breezes  as  they 
kissed  the  cheeks  of  the  sleeping  flowers. 

Our  regrets  for  the  loss  of  the  uninspired  poetry  of  the 
Hebrews  are  in  vain.  It  must  have  contained  many 
beautiful  gems,  which  have  gone  down  to  the  deep 
unfathomable  caves  of  the  deluge  of  time.  Only  the 
poetry  that  was  vitalized  by  the  spirit  of  divine  inspiration 
has,  like  an  ark,  moved  in  safety  amidst  the  wrecks  and 
drifts  of  time  over  the  stormy  billows  of  the  ages. 

The  word  and  works  of  God  are  alike  indestructible 
by  force  or  time.  We  know  that  many  of  the  objects  in 
the  material  world  are  subject  to  disintegration  and 
decay,  but  science  informs  ■  us  that  not  the  smallest 
particle  of  matter  has  ever  been  annihilated.  God  has 
told  us  that  not  one  jot  or  tittle  of  his  word  should  fail. 
That  word  has  been  translated  into  various  languages 
and  although  it  may  have  thus  lost  to  us  some  of  the 
original  literary  elegancies  with  which  it  was  adorned,  it 
still  teaches  the  loftiest  truth  and  wisdom  in  language 
of  wondrous  melody  and  beauty,  and  touches  the  same 
sweet  chords  in  the  human  heart  which  it  touched  three 
thousand  years  ago,  and  makes  them  thrill  with  glorious 
harmonies. 

Man  and  time  may  change  some  of  the  features  of 
nature,  and  form  natural  elements  into  new  combinations, 
but  they  cannot  dim  the  brightness   of  the  sun,   or  turn 


198 

the  shining"  planets  from  their  orbits;  they  cannot  control 
the  swelling  tides  of  the  ocean,  or  remove  from  their 
deep  foundations  the  everlasting  hills.  Thus  the  word  of 
God  will  endure  forever,  have  free  course  and  be  glorified 
in  fulfilling  its  divine  mission.  God  has  preserved  as 
much  of  the  history  and  literature  of  the  chosen  people 
as  was  necessary  for  the  guidance  and  instruction  of 
mankind,  and  this  record  will  remain  unchangeable  and 
indestructible.  He  has  also  wonderfully  preserved  the 
identity  of  His  chosen  people. 

Their  history  is  eventful,  peculiar  and  full  of  sadness. 
They  forgot  the  sacred  covenant,  rejected  and  crucified 
their  Messiah,  and  their  beautiful  house  was  brought  to 
desolation — not  one  stone  left  upon  another — and  for  more 
than  eighteen  centuries  they  have  been  outcasts  and 
exiles  from  the  land  of  their  fathers  and  their  sacred 
and  ruined  altars. 

•'  The  wild  dove  hath  her  nest,  the  lox  his  cave, 
Mankind  their  country,  Israel  but  the  grave." 

The  story  of  the  Wandering  Jew  is  a  fit  representation 
of  the  destiny  of  the  race.  It  is  said  that  he  offered 
indignities  to  Christ  while  on  the  way  to  Calvary  and 
was  cursed  with  an  immortality  of  wandering  and  suffer- 
ing. He  is  represented  in  the  legend  as  visiting  every 
part  of  the  earth  in  his  endless  pilgrimage;  always  weary 
but  never  resting;  mingling  in  society  without  receiving 
any  of  its  love,  comforts  or  blessings;  passing  unharmed 
through  torrid  heat  and  arctic  winter;  through  the  storms 
of  the  ocean  and  the  dangers  of  the  land;  through  the 
carnage  of  battle-fields,  the  blazing  ruins  of  sacked  cities, 
and  the  charnel  houses  of  the  pestilence,  always  seeking 
destruction  but  never  destroyed;  he  seems  to  have  had 
nothing  of  life  but  the  anguish  of  suffering,  and  all  of 
death  but  the  rest  and  quietude  of  the  grave. 

Thus  the  Jews,  since  the  destruction  of  their  Holy  City, 
have  been  outcasts  and  wanderers.     They  are  found  in 


199 

all  periods  of  history  mingling  with  other  races  and 
always  remaining  a  separate  and  peculiar  people.  They 
are  to  be  found  in  every  clime,  and  the  tireless  foot  of 
the  Jew  has  trod  every  shore.  They  have  been  succes- 
ful  in  collecting  the  riches  of  commerce  and  controlling 
the  finances  of  the  world.  They  have  entered  every 
grade  in  society  from  the  hovel  of  the  peasant  to  the 
palaces  of  nobles  and  kings.  They  have  led  conquering 
armies,  and  with  thrilling  eloquence  commanded  the 
applause  of  listening  senates,  and  as  powers  behind  the 
throne,  have  directed  victorious  legions  and  controlled 
the  jurisprudence  and  diplomacy  of  States.  They  have 
guided  the  advancing  march  of  civilization  and  have 
ever  been  the  earnest  advocates  of  social  order,  freedom 
and  justice. 

During  the  supremacy  of  the  Moors  in  Spain,  the  Jews 
for  eight  centuries  found  a  home  and  protection  in  that 
land  of  sunny  skies,  fertile  plains  and  vine-clad  hills, 
almost  as  beautiful  as  their  motherland;  and  by  their 
talent,  learning,  industry  and  energy  greatly  assisted  in 
building  up  a  civilization  in  the  splendid  cities  of  Anda- 
lusia whose  intellectual  light  and  glory  have  scarcely  yet 
been  excelled  in  human  progress.  But  the  time  for  their 
permanent  rest  from  wandering  and  freedom  from  perse- 
cution had  not  yet  come.  The  bigotry  and  fanaticism  of 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella  drove  them  from  their  new 
Palestine  and  scattered  them  again  amongst  the  nations, 
and  a  gloom  of  ignorance,  superstition  and  despotism 
settled  upon  that  devoted  land  which  has  not  yet  been 
dispersed  by  the  glowing  light  of  modern  civilization. 

The  sacred  books  of  the  Hebrews,  which  contain  but  a 
portion  of  the  learning,  wisdom  and  genius  of  the  race, 
have  given  religions,  laws  and  the  highest  literatures  to 
the  civilized  nations  of  the  world.  They  have  given 
vitality,  cohesiveness  and  power  to  Islam  and  much  of 
the  elevating,  enlightening  and  civilizing  spirit  of  Chris- 


200 

tianity.  In  all  the  noble  contests  of  the  human  mind 
against  prejudice,  oppression  and  wrong,  and  in  the 
progressive  advancement  of  mankind  towards  enlighten- 
ment, truth,  freedom,  justice  and  right,  their  sacred  books 
have  led  the  vanguard,  even  as  the  pillar  of  cloud  and 
fire  led  the  wanderings  of  their  forefathers  through  the 
wilderness  to  the  Promised  Land. 

The  history  of  four  thousand  years  shows  the  Hebrews 
to  be  not  only  the  oldest  but  one  of  the  noblest  and  most 
enduring  races  of  men.  In  all  the  departments  of  learning 
and  intellectual  effort,  in  creative  genius  and  cultivated 
taste  they  have  stood  as  peers  with  the  most  gifted  of  the 
sons  of  men.  They  have  won  some  of  the  richest  trophies 
in  the  fields  of  science  and  philosophy,  added  invaluable 
treasures  to  literature,  beautified  the  noblest  galleries  of 
art,  and  thrilled  the  hearts  of  mankind  with  strains  of 
the  loftiest  melody. 

There  is  something  sublime  in  the  spiritual  solitude  of 
the  Jew.  He  mingles  freely  in  all  species  of  business, 
and  sometimes  enters  into  familiar  social  intercourse,  but 
still  there  is  a  penetralia  in  his  heart  to  which  no  Gentile 
influence  can  obtain  access.  There  he  enshrines  the 
tenets  of  his  religious  faith  and  the  enduring  love  of  his 
fatherland,  clustered  round  with  memories  and  hopes 
which  are  undimmed  by  disappointments  and  unshaken 
by  disasters;  and  how  earnestly  and  continuously  does 
his  heart   breathe  the  prayer  of  the  Psalmist, 

"  Oh  !  that  the  salvation  of  Israel  were  come  out  of  Zion  ;  when 
the  Lord  bringeth  back  the  captivity  of  His  people,  Jacob  shall 
rejoice  and  Israel  be  glad." 

"Do  good  in  thy  good  pleasure  unto  Zion,  build  thou  the  walls  of 
Jerusalem." 

What  natural  principles  and  elements  could  have 
produced  such  a  national  phenomenon  as  the  Jews,  having 
no  parallel  in  history.  God  does  nothing  without  some 
purpose  and  "  He  hath  not  dealt  so  with  any  nation." 
He  is   fulfilling  the   sublime   prophecy  which   He  spoke 


201 

more  than  three  thousand  years  ago  through  the  unwilling 
lips  of  Balaam. 

"  Lo,  the  people  shall  dwell  alone 
And  shall  not  be  ,  eckoned  among  the  nations." 

He  has  preserved  this  remarkable  people  in  their 
distinctive  character  and  nationality  to  accomplish  some 
great  end  in  the  future.  The  Jews  are  as  numerous  now 
as  the  Hebrews  were  when  Joshua  led  them  into  Canaan. 
Among  all  nations  they  are  remarkable  for  their  thrift, 
industry  and  commercial  energy,  and  for  them  the 
streams  of  trade  seem  to  flow  over  golden  sands.  They 
have  generously  cared  for  their  indigent  people,  and  the 
name  of  a  Jew  is  never  found  on  the  lists  of  pauperism. 
They  generally  practice  the  virtues  of  temperance  and 
chastity  and  observe  most  of  the  duties  of  citizenship. 

When  we  consider  the  insults,  vexations,  wrongs  and 
oppressions  which  they  have  endured;  the  cruelties  and 
calamities  which  they  have  suffered;  the  scorn,  contumely 
and  contempt  which  have  been  heaped  upon  them  in 
every  age  of  modern  times,  by  Pagan,  Moslem  and 
Christian,  by  serf,  freemen  and  king,  we  cannot  be  sur- 
prised that  many  of  them  have  exhibited  the  vices  of  avarice, 
hypocracy,  cunning  and  deceit.  These  vices  were  learned 
by  the  Jews  in  the  schools  of  their  bitter  experiences  as 
the  only  means  of  self-preservation  and  protection,  and 
we  are  surprised  that  in  passing  through  such  a  terrible 
ordeal  they  have  preserved  so  many  of  the  human  virtues. 
Until  a  recent  period  they  have  scarcely  found  a  land 
that  afforded  them  a  secure  home  and  the  equal  benefits 
of  its  laws,  and  could  they  be  expected  to  love  a  country 
in  which  they  were  oppressed  and  regarded  as  aliens  and 
outlaws  ?  They  have  scarcely  ever  mingled  with  a  people 
who  extended  to  them  the  sympathies  of  human  brother- 
hood, or  the  courtesies  and  amenities  of  ordinary  social 
intercourse,  and  could  they  reasonably  be  expected  to 
exhibit  the  highest  social  virtues  and  charities  in  return 


202 

for  distrust,  scorn  and  reproach  ?  Has  the  'conduct  of 
Christian  nations  in  their  continual  strifes  and  revolutions — 
deluging  the  earth  with  all  the  sins  and  sorrows  of  war — 
been  well  calculated  to  inspire  the  Jew  with  admiration 
for  our  Christian  institutions,  and  give  him  confidence  in 
our  sincerity  and  reverence  for  the  religion  which  we 
profess,  and  which  teaches  as  a  primal  doctrine,  "On  earth 
peace,  good  will  toward  men  ?" 

The  unparalleled  problem  presented  in  the  social, 
political  and  intellectual  condition  of  the  Jews  can  be 
solved  in  no  other  rational  way  than  by  attributing  the 
highest  principles  of  conservatism  to  their  religious  faith, 
and  by  supposing  that  still,  for  some  wise  and  beneficent 
purpose,  The  Lord  of  Hosts  is  with  them,  the  God  of 
Jacob  is  their  refuge. 

The  dark  and  cruel  prejudices  of  eighteen  hundred 
years  are  passing  away  before  the  advancing  light  of  a 
purer  and  holier  Christianity  and  a  nobler  civilization, 
and  the  political  skies  of  the  Jews  are  brightening  around 
them.  In  most  civilized  countries  they  are  no  longer 
subjected  to  tortures  and  oppressions,  but  receive  the 
protection  and  benefits  of  the  laws;  and  in  England  and 
in  the  United  States  they  enjoy  as  much  freedom  as  their 
ancestors  did  in  the  palmy  days  of  the  Hebrew  common- 
wealth. Profane  history  furnishes  no  information  by 
which  we  can  account  for  the  long  preserved  and  distinctive 
existence  of  the  Jews,  and  it  fails  to  afford  any  light  in 
forecasting  their  religious  and  political  future.  On  this 
subject  we  must  look  to  the  books  of  prophecy  and  the 
blessed  promises  of  the  Gospel  of  the  Prince  of  Peace. 
God  alone  can  solve  the  mysterious  problem  of  Jewish 
life. 

As  God  in  His  corrective  providences  has  dealt  sorely 
"with  the  Jews,  so  He  has  dealt  with  the  beautiful  land 
which  He  gave  to  their  fathers  as  a  habitation  and 
inheritance.     Both  the  people  and  their  land  are  witnesses 


203 

of  the  curse  of  the  broken  covenant,  of  Jehovah's  right- 
eous judgments   and  of  the  truths  of  divine  prophecy. 

Once  this  land  was  garnished  with  all  the  lavish 
bounties  of  nature  and  was  filled  with  abundance,  but 
now  it  is  barren  like  a  desert,  and  her  beauty  and  fertility 
have  been  trodden  down  by  oppressors  and  strangers. 
Once  it  teemed  with  a  free,  intelligent,  industrious  and 
prosperous  population  whose  homes  were  flourishing 
hamlets,  ancient  towns  and  splendid  cities,  but  now  it  is 
sparsely  inhabited  by  slothful  peasants,  decrepid  beggars, 
dejected  slaves  and  vicious  robbers,  dwelling  in  miserable 
villages  in  filth  and  poverty.  Its  cities  are  wasted  and 
its  sanctuaries  brought  to  desolation — it  is  a  field  of  rubbish 
and  ruins.  How  truly  has  the  prophecy  been  fulfilled: 
"  Your  country  is  desolate,  your  cities  are  burned  with 
fire,  your  land  strangers  devour  it  in  your  presence,  and 
it  is  desolate  as  overthrown  by  strangers."  "And  the 
daughter  of  Zion  is  left  as  a  cottage  in  a  vineyard,  as  a 
lodge  in  a  garden  of  cucumbers,  as  a  besieged  city." 

As  God  has  kept  the  Jews  in  all  ages  and  in  the  midst 
of  all  nations  a  separate  and  peculiar  people,  so  has  He 
kept  the  land  which  He  gave  their  fathers  from  being  the 
distinctive  home  of  any  other  nationality.  It  was  over- 
run by  the  Chaldeans,  Assyrians,  Egyptians,  Persians, 
Greeks  and  Romans,  and  in  succeeding  ages  by  still 
greater  destroyers,  the  Arabians,  Saracens,  Crusaders, 
Mamelukes,  Tartars  and  Turks,  but  to  none  of  these 
nations  and  races  has  it  been  a  permanent  and  prosperous 
home.  Palestine  seems  to  have  ever  been  conscious  of 
and  responded  to  the  undying  love  of  her  exiled  and 
scattered  children;  and  for  centuries  in  dust  and  ashes 
she  has  mourned  for  their  absence,  their  sorrows  and 
misfortunes. 

Since  her  bereavement  she  has   put  off  her   beautiful 

garments  and  clothed  herself  in  the  habiliments  of  sorrow 

^and  woe.     Her  breezes  are   no  longer  balmy  with  their 


204 

former  delicious  perfumes  and  she  smiles  no  more  in 
fresh  and  dewy  verdure.  Many  of  her  gushing  springs, 
musical  rills  and  singing  birds  are  silent,  and  many  of 
the  beauteous  wild  flowers  that  bloomed  on  her  bosom 
have  faded.  The  stately  forests  that  once  crowned  her 
mountains  with  regal  pride  and  glory,  and  the  fruitful 
fig  trees,  olives  and  vines  that  mantled  her  hillsides  have 
been  trodden  down  by  the  Gentiles;  and  golden  harvests 
no  longer  wave  in  her  valleys  and  over  her  plains  ready 
to  fill  storehouses  of  plenty.  The  sound  of  tabret,  viol 
and  harp  are  not  heard  in  festive  homes  and  the  voices 
of  rejoicing  are  all  at  rest.  Her  once  crowded  highways 
are  desolate  and  her  now  barren  fields  are  not  covered 
with  flocks  and  herds,  and  resound  not  with  the  blithesome 
songs  of  the  vintage  and  harvest.  Once  with  maternal 
fondness  she  lavished  rich  blessings  upon  her  children, 
and  now  that  they  are  gone  she  refuses  to  bestow  boun- 
ties upon  the  oppressors  and  heedless  strangers.'  She 
will  put  on  her  glorious  apparel  no  more  or  yield  her 
hidden  treasures  until  the  set  time  to  favor  Zion  shall 
come,  and  the  outcasts  of  Israel  and  the  dispersed  of 
Judah  shall  be  gathered  into  the  dwellings  of  Jacob. 

The  restoration  of  the  Jews  to  the  Holy  Land  is 
distinctly  foretold  in  prophecy,  but  the  time  of  its  accom- 
plishment is  known  only  to  God.  We  fully  believe  that 
the  Jews  will  in  some  coming  age  recognize  the  Messiah 
promised  unto  their  fathers,  and  with  pride  and  holy  joy 
will  acknowledge  the  truth  of  the  superscription  placed 
by  the  infamous  Pilate  in  mockery  on  the  Cross,  "  Jesus 
of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews,"  and  will  see  the 
truth  and  beauty  of  the  prophecy:  He  shall  be  "  a  light  to 
lighten  the  Gentiles  and  the  glory  of  Thy  people  Israel. 

When  that  grand  event  shall  occur  then  the  time  of 
the  Gentiles  will  be  fulfilled,  "And  the  ransomed  of  the 
Lord  shall  return  and  come  to  Zion  with  songs  and 
everlasting  joy  upon    their  heads,   they  shall  obtain  joy* 


205 

and  gladness  and  sorrow,  and  sighing  shall  flee  away." 
They  shall  come  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth  and 
from  the  islands  of  the  sea  and  be  gathered  into  the 
land  long  since  promised  unto  Abraham  and  his  seed 
forever,  and  there  show  forth  the  praises  of  the  Lord. 

"  The  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  shall  be  glad  for  them,  and 
the  desert  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rope."  "  It  shall  blossom 
abundantly  and  rejoice  with  joy  and  singing;  the  glory  of  Lebanon 
shall  be  given  unto  it — the  excellency  of  Carmel  and  Sharon  ;  they 
shall  see  the  glory  of  the  Lord  and  the  excellency  of  our  God." 

Then  all  the  blue  mountains  of  Israel  shall  put  off  their 
garments  of  desolation — be  crowned  with  garlands  of 
vines,  fruits  and  flowers,  and  grow  green  with  pastures. 
The  hills  on  every  side  shall  be  covered  with  flocks  and 
herds,  and  shall  flow  with  milk  and  honey,  and  the  valleys 
become  fat  with  wine  and  oil  and  abundant  harvests. 
The  fountains  and  streams  and  birds  and  trees  and 
breezes,  with  songs  of  rejoicing,  will  join  in  the  glorious 
jubilate  that  welcomes  the  return  of  the  redeemed  exiles 
of  Israel  to  the  "goodly  land"  of  Promise.  Then  the 
waste  places  of  Jerusalem  shall  be  built  up,  the  place  of 
the  sanctuary  shall  be  beautified,  and  the  place  of  His 
feet  be  made  glorious,  and  again  shall  she  be  "  beautiful 
for  situation,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth."  Then  the 
daughters  of  Zion  shall  arise  from  the  dust  and  put  on 
their  beautiful  garments  and  have  beauty  for  ashes,  the 
oil  of  joy  for  mourning  and  the  garment  of  praise  for 
the  spirit  of  heaviness.  Then  the  poets  of  Israel  will  wake 
again  the  long,  silent  Hebrew  lyre  to  sing  in  the  lofty 
strains  of  Christian  millennial  joy,  the  fulfilment  of  those 
divine  promises  and  purposes  which  the  Old  Hebrew 
Bards  saw  in  the  glorious  visions  of  prophecy  three 
thousand  years  ago. 


G-REENSBORO       ; 

LAW  SCHOOL. 


The  Sessions  will  commence  on  the  First  Monday  in 
January  and  Third  Monday  in  August,  and  terminate  the 
Second  Monday  in  June  and  December. 

* 

TUITION. 

$80.00  for  entire  course,  or  $50.00  per  session,  to  be 
arranged  in  advance. 

There  will  be  six  examinations  and  lectures  each 
week. 

Board  can  be  obtained  in  private  families  at  from 
$12.00  to  $16.00  per  month. 

Course  of  Study. 

Blackstone's  Commentaries  (2d  book)  diligently. 
Coke,  Cruise,  or  some  other  standard  work  on  Real 
Property. 

Stephen  and  Chitty  on  Pleading. 
Adams'  Equity  and  1st  Greenleaf  on  Evidence. 
Some  standard  work  on  Executors  and  Administrators 
Code  of  Civil  Procedure. 

ROBERT  P.  DICK. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00033939784 


FOR  USE  ONLY  IN 
THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  COLLECTION 


